I feel like I’m in high school again or back in the day when we all played ‘hot or not.’ Magazines often have articles on what’s hot and what’s not, but I never thought that would affect me. It was fun when it came to fashion during the Oscars, but when it’s about how your book is doing or not doing in the kindle scout program then it’s hard.
I figure now is the time to try this program. If it’s successful in six months, or possibly less, then it will be filled with the far more successful writers than newbies. In my 12 days already, I google the new people trying and read all the other books first chapters. The day mine ends, I know of two other books I will nominate. As readers you’re not trying to promote your own so you can pick your top three for the months. Heck I could tell you the ones I’d pick that aren’t me. (I’ll likely nominate Worst Date Ever and Liberty Belle as those sound good. A few mysteries caught my eye, but that’s not what I’m reading right now. I wish there was a young adult category because I’d be nominating like crazy then.)
Yet because I’m promoting Winter Peril, I don’t want to mess up anything. If India on the Voice won by two tweets her save then every vote matters. So for me, every other book, that I would read, must wait 18 days before I vote for others. Winter Peril is a book I wrote a few years back. (I have a sequel, not that it’s in any shape to go out to the world yet. I figure have the sequel rough draft done while I fix the first one to be the best book it can be.)
This is the opposite of my norm and writing contests. What I love about the romance writing industry is that there is networking and we’re not competing overtly. There are some amazing people who mentor and just being in the group has helped me tremendously. I would not be published without RWA. (Shout out to my local chapter FRW.) For all the ups and downs and politics of the group, which I ignore most of, then I’m still in awe of so much. Last July I had tea with Barbara Vey, and Jayne Ann Krentz came over to talk to us, mostly Barbara but I was there too. It was a highlight and shows how awesome and great everyone generally is.
So this whole nomination thing has me tied up in knots. Of course you can add the pressure of my job, and the three AP tests I am preparing students for. The first one was Friday and as that was the new course for me, AP US History stressed me out. Now I’m less stressed for AP US Government and AP Macroeconomics as I know how to prepare students for a test that’s been out there for a while.
Summer is coming though. I can sleep and go on vacation. I’ll also know around the end of the school year if the Kindle Scout people choose Winter Peril. All I can do now is go back to the hot or not list and play this game. If you have a chance and haven’t already, please nominate Winter Peril at https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3LNT20K7IL0JD
