The Visitor is Traveling Again!

This time The Visitor has arrived at a LAKE which is really nice, but not so great!

Check the clue below to see if you can figure out where The Visitor is this time! Send your guess to the email given and be sure to include your shipping address in case you win! One correct entry will be randomly selected for this week’s winner!

Last Day to Enter for Gifts!

Wow! So many amazing gifts! Seriously. You’d think it was Christmas or something! 🙂 Keep reading to find out all of the gifts that ONE PERSON – yes one will get all the goodies – will receive!

Three-book Give-Away!

I have a few things that delight me as much as the wonderful folks who continue to encourage me in my writing. Some of these precious people also become prayer warriors when I have challenges to meet. And I want to do some special things for them in return.

No Foolin’ – We have a WINNER!

Monday was so much fun! If you didn’t get the chance to join us, you’ll have almost as much fun reading back through the stories and comments as we did when they first popped up.

More Marketing Ideas for Authors

Yeah, I’m in an imagination zone right now and the ideas just keep coming. My experience with Write Integrity Press and The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt along with Tracy Ruckman and all of the other authors just inspired the tar out of me. I shared four main types of marketing last week.

NEWS!

I found out some news right before Thanksgiving and have been bursting! Seriously! That very day, I received yet another rejection and thought, “Well, that’s it. Back to the drawing board.” Then I learned the most WONDERFUL NEWS! Check out the details HERE, then come back and read my take on the situation!

Winning Announcement!

The winner of the September New Releases Clash is…

The Road To Mercy by Kathy Harris

We Have A Winner of the August Clash of the Titles

Congratulations to Gloria Clover, winner of the August New Releases Clash, with her novel, The Fire Starter!

 

Thank you so much to our competitors. This competition was amazing!

The Olympia Contest for Unpublished Writers!

Get Ready to Spar!

 

Clash of the Titles Unveils a NEW annual literary contest, 

THE OLYMPIA

and it’s strictly for unpublished writers!

Also, you will no longer need to be a previous Clash Champion in order to compete for the crown.

 

Submissions open September 14, 2012,

As always at COTT, the outcome of the contest is in the hands of readers, 

not industry professionals.

You’ve written the book of your dreams, now what do readers think? Enter the arena and find out.

Olympia 2013 Submission Rules

The OLYMPIA provides an opportunity for unpublished novelists to have the first two chapters (or 3,500 words) of their work judged and critiqued by readers that are well-versed in Christian fiction yet not a part of the CBA industry.

ELIGIBILITY: Any author whose novel-length work (30,000+ words) has not been previously published in ANY format is eligible for entry. That includes the manuscript being submitted as well as any other manuscript the submitting author has written. One entry per author. Co-authored entries accepted. The manuscript should not contain profanity, graphic sex, or other objectionable material. Clash of the Titles staff reserves the right to reject submissions not meeting this requirement.

FEE: $10 payable via Paypal

Paypal account: contactcott@gmail.com

If Paypal is not an option for you, please contact senior editor, April Gardner at contactcott@gmail.com.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: All entries must include a single-spaced one page synopsis of the manuscript immediately followed by the first two chapters of the novel. Word count limit is 3,500. Prologues are accepted, so long as the word count limit is not exceeded.

FORMAT: Manuscripts must be in Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double-spaced with pages numbered. One inch margins in Ms Doc (not Docx) or Rich Text Format (RTF). Insert a header which includes the novel’s genre and title, and nothing more. Judging is anonymous. Do NOT include your name anywhere in the document or in the title the document is saved under.

Entries not following the submission and formatting specifications will be returned. Entries may be resubmitted prior to the deadline. Entry fees for returned entries will not be refunded after the contest entry deadline has passed.

JUDGING:

Round One begins November 02, 2012. Entries will first be judged by Clash of the Titles staff, which includes published authors and writers experienced in judging. During this round, COTT staff will be looking for those excerpts which do not meet content standards listed in “Eligibility” above. Because COTT wishes to send only the best quality of writing to its judges, in addition to content eligibility, they will be reading for a higher level of experience in the craft.

Round Two begins November 30, 2012. By this date all entrants will have received an email notifying them whether or not their manuscript has moved on to Round Two. Manuscripts making it to this round will be read by a group of judges who are comprised of your average reader of Christian fiction and that are in no way associated with the CBA industry. This includes agents, writers, avid reviewers, publicists, editors, etc. They are, in short, your audience.

Round Three begins January 21, 2013. By this date, all remaining entrants will be notified of whether or not their manuscript will be moving on. Only three manuscripts will be chosen for this round. Finalist will be announced January 18. Judges pending.

Authors will receive an anonymous digital copy of each of their judge’s scores and comments. Under no circumstance should comments given by a judge be used for publicity or promotional purposes without the express consent of the judge.

PRIZES: One first-place winner will be chosen. He/she will receive a special feature on Clash of the Titles’ blog. A tour through COTT’s Blog Alliance. A dedicated page on COTT’s site for a full year. A podcast interview with author and CAG board member, Cynthia L. Simmons. A beautiful plaque. Additional prizes pending.

DEADLINES: Submissions will open Friday, September 14, 2012. All contest entries and fees must be received no later than 8:00 PM EST Friday, November 02, 2012.

All entries will receive a confirmation e-mail. If this has not occurred by 8:00 PM EST November 03, 2012, the entrant should e-mail COTT senior editor, April Gardner at contactcott@gmail.com.

The winner will be announced Friday, March 01, 2013

Stay tuned for updates by 

subscribing to COTT’s blog and “liking” our Facebook page.

Clash of the May 2012 Releases

This clash’s host: Jennifer Slattery

My summer reading list is quickly growing. When you read the following two-sentence hooks, I’m sure you’ll agree, these five May releases are must-reads indeed! Which one is drawing you the most? Please vote below, and check out www.clashofthetitles.com on July 5th to see who won. Happy Independence Day!

Spring Hope by Martha Rogers:

Libby Cantrell’s life has gone from bad to

worse since her mother’s death. With an abusive father, and life in a brothel,
she sees no hope for her future until she gains the courage to make her escape
one cold winter night. 

When she arrives exhausted, hungry, and ill in
Portersfield, Texas, Sheriff Cory Muldoon finds her in an alley and takes her
to a doctor. 

Wildflowers From Winter by Katie Ganshert: 

A young architect at a prestigious Chicagofirm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.

After All (A Hanover Falls Novel) by Deborah Raney:

Eighteen months after the tragic Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal. But then she discovers that David carried a secret to his grave—a secret that changes everything she thought about their marriage.

The Soul Saver by Dineen Miller:

When Trusting God Is the Only Way Out
On an average day, God started her missions in her sculpting studio, revealing the face of the person she would meet at the grocery store, bank, or playground. The goal was always the same. Reach the lost, bring someone back to God, restore hope.

The Black Sheep’s Redemption by Lynette Eason:

Everyone in Fitzgerald Bay—except his law-enforcement family—is convinced Charles Fitzgerald murdered his children’s nanny. Condemned by public opinion, his only hope for a replacement nanny to take care of his two-year-old twins is newcomer Demi Taylor.

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