Golden Heart Entry

Today, my Golden Heart entry goes into the mail. It has to be in Texas by the 2nd, and I'm not taking any risks by sending it any later - especially with the Thanksgiving Holiday coming up. Last night, I sat down before I printed the final copies of my partial manuscript so that I could go through the check-list, check for grammar and spelling mistakes, and make sure I ended with a "hook". At 55 pages max, the partial and synopsis need to really grab the reader, so a hook at the end can't hurt, right?

It's been just over a month since I mailed my full manuscript out to Silhouette, and I haven't even looked at it since. So last night when I printed out a copy to read through, I was mortified. "Oh my God, this sucks!" That was my initial reaction. I underlined cliche's and awkward sentences. I cringed at wording that I thought I'd changed. I was feeling pretty sure that a rejection letter was on its way from Harlequin. By about the fifth page, I stopped. The first few pages were marked to hell, and I thought, surely, I didn't send out a manuscript with this many errors or things I would want to change.

So, I went back to my computer file and looked. Sure enough, I had opened a pre-final-edit copy of my novel! Whew! What a relief!

When I found the right copy, the one I actually DID send to Silhouette, I was so happy. The more I read, the more I loved it. I was so proud of myself for the changes I'd made and the strength of my voice. The characters started to come alive. The dialog was fresh and witty. There was humor mixed with sexuality and passion, but there was also conflict and story questions. My spirits soared. It might not be a Golden Heart Finalist, and it may still receive a rejection letter, but at least I can hold my head up high and be proud of what I've written.

With a 6 page synopsis and a partial manuscript that comes in a 47 pages, my Golden Heart entry is a near-max 53 pages total. I have 6 copies printed and bound together with a black binder clip, and today they will begin to make their journey to Texas. Then, they will be sent out to the GH first-round judges. 5 different authors from around the country will read my partial, rate it, and by March 25th, I will either be a finalist... or not. Either way, I'm proud of myself for trying.