Out of the competition and what we’ve learned…

I was eliminated from the Amazon Breakthrough Novel 2010 competition. Quarterfinalist was a pretty good run for a book that’s not exactly mainstream fiction, so I’m pretty happy with the result. part of the prize package of being a quarterfinalist is a review from Publisher’s Weekly, and after reading some of the other contestant’s feedback, I think I dodged a bullet. My review is pretty middle of the road, nothing fantastic, nothing bad, I only wish I knew which parts they were referring to when they said “mostly manages”…

For your reading pleasure, The Publisher’s Weekly Review:
“Lucifer may not be such a bad guy after all. Here, he’s part Sam Spade and part wisecracking governor of hell. In the afterlife, everyone receives thirteen anima crystals. The crystals reflect misdeeds or shortcoming in their own life, and only after they overcome or repent for their sins are they able to advance to heaven. The only problem is that Aspen Biltmore, a vapid, shopping obsessed strumpet, has stolen others’ crystals in an attempt to sneak in to heaven to be with Lenny, the angel she loves. When Lucifer learns his own anima crystals have disappeared, the murderous Cain and Abel make an appearance, as do the schizophrenic Hectate and the universe destroying Yaotl. Fortunately Lucifer has the help of Monkey, the immortal trickster of Chinese mythology, Goliath the Philistine, and Eve, who now works as a waitress. While the plot may seem convoluted, the author mostly manages it with an excellent sense of tongue-in-cheek humor and very creative recasting of the afterlife.”

I’ve begun submitting Angel Falls to agents in earnest now, I’m going to try a slow approach, one per week with an increasing pace this summer. I also have a few decent leads on publishing houses. This battle’s not over yet! I will get this book in the hands of the masses!