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This
year [2003] marks the 10th anniversary of our Emma Darcy Award contest.
Way back in 1993, Frank and Wendy Brennan (aka Emma Darcy) came
up with the idea to sponsor a full manuscript contest. Australia
and New Zealand have some wonderful writers, but because of the
tyranny of distance, needed some encouragement and motivation to
‘finish the damn book.’ So the Emma Darcy Award was born.
With an unprecedented cash prize of $2,000 and the added bonus
of getting their manuscripts in front of an acquiring editor,
writers from all over Australia (and overseas!) took up the
challenge.
Ten
years later... And an incredible number of Emma Darcy entrants
have found the joys of publication. Tracey Cooper-Posey was
the first winner in 1994. These days she’s a multi-published
author who has "written everything - romances,
action/adventures, short stories, autobiographical pieces,
screenplays, novels (nine at last count, and lots of others
warming up in the wings). I’ve won awards (including the EDA),
been published, I teach writing whenever someone will pay me
to, and can't resist an opportunity to talk about the craft
and tribulations of the profession. I've reached that deeply
satisfying point in my life where all my friends are writers,
too. It saves a lot of complications. At least I'll never have
to explain to them why I won't quit this crazy notion about
being a writer and get a real job."
Bronwyn
Jameson won in 1996 with her mss FOR LOVE OR MONEY. While
Bronwyn admits that story will never see the light of day,
another of her novels IN BED WITH THE BOSS’S DAUGHTER was
picked up by Silhouette Desire in 2000. Now with four
published books under her belt, Bronwyn says of her EDA win,
it was ""totally unexpected, but very affirming. It
gave me the confidence to blaze ahead at a time when all the
technicalities of craft and alleged rules were messing with my
voice. Over the next several years I suffered many crises of
faith in my writing, and that award - the fact that several
someones believed I possessed some talent - boosted me over
those bumps.
Fiona
Brand, RITA finalist and 1999 RBY winner, was the EDA winner
for 1997. That mss CULLEN’S BRIDE was also a Golden Heart
finalist and subsequently published by Silhouette Intimate
Moments. Of her contest win, Fiona says "I worked hard to
win the Emma Darcy Award - it was a real pinnacle of
achievement with, of course, publication the ultimate goal.
What came before I won the EDA? Four full manuscripts and four
partials rejected by publishers, numerous other competition
entries - some that went well, some that didn't - and three
previous failures to even final in the EDA."
Jill
Watkinson - EDA winner in 1998 for BLACK PEARL - went on to
sell another book and has since written a ‘literary romance’
for University of Queensland Press. Jill says "I took
several weeks off work to finish THE ARCHITECT for the
Queensland Premiers Literary Awards, which I would never have
done (and won!) without the EDA shortlisting and RWA. The EDA
launched my career as a writer. I also teach romance writing
workshops, so having the EDA on my CV is definitely an
advantage. The idea of entering a contest that can open doors
to greater things is invaluable; it gives a deadline to the
dream, something concrete to aim for and a very good reason to
finish and polish of major piece of writing (not to mention
the thrill and self-confidence that comes from winning!)"
This
year Laura Ruch was contracted with Silhouette Intimate
Moments for her 2001 EDA-winning entry FULL CIRCLE (retitled
THE TIE THAT BINDS). "The EDA gave me a safe place to
test my effort. I had no idea if I really had anything
worthwhile - all I knew was that I had a finished manuscript.
I entered, really hoping for some feedback. I guess winning is
a kind of feedback, but it wasn’t what I was thinking of!
Still, though, releasing my creation into the world, letting
other people (strangers) look at it, was really frightening,
and I am really thankful that EDA was there. It’s exactly
what I needed. It certainly gave me feedback, and it helped me
get a foot in the door. I am thoroughly enjoying the process
of developing the book for publication."
However,
contest wins can lead you down different paths. Like Ginny
Gibbs, who took first place in 1995 with THE LAST RESORT.
"The truth is I'm disappointed in myself that I'm not
published in category romance by now (I am published in short
fiction). Alison Kelly told me that it's one thing to have
talent, but quite another to keep at it, to have the
discipline to write regularly and succeed. A severe illness
and the breakup of my marriage of 25 years brought all notions
romantic to a screeching halt for quite a while (I can just
hear Lucy Clark saying "Well, write about the breakup!
Use it!"). My love of reading and writing our wonderful
genre hasn't diminished one dot and I'll keep at it. And at
least I can say this: I've written two damn books and no one
can EVER take that away from me!"
Yvonne
Lindsay (1999 winner - THE FATHER DEAL) reiterates the ‘try
‘til you die’ philosophy: "Winning was a truly
amazing experience all the way through the nerve-wracking five
rounds of readers until The Call from the then co-ordinator,
Bronwyn Jameson, the subsequent invaluable meeting with Emma
Darcy and presentation of the wonderful plaque and prize at
the Awards Dinner. When I won with my first finished
manuscript I created very high expectations for myself, which
as yet I haven't fulfilled. So, while I strongly advocate
competitions for growing your talent, there is a great deal of
work that needs to be done in the background to be ready for
the mental challenge of what comes next - not least of which
is coping with other people's expectations of you continuing
to do great things in the short term and their disappointment
when you don't, let alone your own. I have been fortunate that
winning the EDA gave me the opportunity to enter into dialogue
with an editor at my targeted publishing house - a dialogue
which I am hopeful will lead to the realisation of my dreams
and the threshold of a new career. In the meantime, I'm just
like every other romance writer, still hoping that this
manuscript will be The One."
Publication
and/or career advancement isn’t confined to the winners:
only this year 2000 finalist Ris Wilkinson (FIGHTING WITH
FLYNN) was picked up by Mills & Boon with HIS INCONVENIENT
WIFE; Ashleigh Bingham, a 1998 finalist, sold her EDA mss THE
DREAM HUNTER to (now defunct) Wild Rose. She is currently
enjoying success with UK publishers Robert Hale.
Melissa
James, a 1999 EDA highly commended recipient for DARK KNIGHT,
eventually sold that book (retitled HER GALAHAD) to Silhouette
Intimate Moments. Melissa says of her EDA experience that
"full manuscript contests are a fabulous way for good
writers to attain notice, and make it to publication - as many
of us Down Under authors, published through full manuscript
contests, can affirm. The EDA is one way for Aussie writers to
get their full manuscript on the desk of an editor and read in
a far shorter time, and the prestige of winning, to get agents
to read their books."
Kandy
Shepherd was also a highly commended entrant in 1999 with
SOMETHING ABOUT JOE. She sold that same book to (now defunct)
Power of Love Publishing and it was released as MITCHELL'S
NANNY in 2000. Says Kandy "I was told that there was only
one point between the final 10 that year so it was a
nail-biting time. Knowing that my mss had been rated so well
by reader-judges, the people who actually buy romances, was
very gratifying. And of course the greatest thrill of all was
actually getting the manuscript published! I quit my job as
editorial director of Pacific Publications late last year to
give myself a chance to write full-time (well, as full-time as
a mother can be!) I have a complete manuscript under
consideration with Harlequin and am frantically trying to
finish another that was requested last year. Then there's the
'book of my heart' - a chick lit that keeps begging to be
written and distracting me from my WIP..."
Nalini
Singh (1999 finalist with BREAKING THE RULES) follows the
trend. She has recently signed a contract with Silhouette
Desire and her first book DESERT WARRIOR comes out later this
year. Of her placing, Nalini says "...It was a wonderful
opportunity to get my work critiqued, not only by Sam Bell
(final judge in 1999) but also by the wonderful Emma Darcy,
who sent me a written critique because I wasn't able to make
the Australian conference. Both of these ladies provided
guidance which helped me improve my writing, so I owe them a
huge thank you. Even more important was the encouragement I
received from placing in the EDA - after all, all of us
writers want people to love our stories."
And
then there’s the enormous encouragement and valuable
feedback from editors to be had. Sara Lyons (2001 finalist -
BRIDE OF TOMORROW), Lucy Forster & Danielle Ellis
(2000
winner - FOUND: ONE LOVER) and Trish Morey have achieved the
‘feedback from editor’ milestone. Trish (1999 finalist
with MAD ABOUT MAX) believes that "just finishing a book
is a huge achievement. So to final in a whole book competition
is wonderful for you - it looks great on your CV - and is very
positive for the editors. They know you can finish a book and
it will be worth reading (and hopefully, one day, worth
buying!)" Well, yes, as Trish's success proves her philosophy - HER GREEK BOSS'S DEMAND will be a Mills & Boon Presents UK release in April 2004."
So
for all those shiny contracts, there are just as many writers
making solid progress in their writing careers by forging
professional relationships with editors. For some, winning may
just be the starting point to honing their craft. For others,
the well-deserved reward after many years of hard slog.
The
benefits of entering the EDA are enormous - editor feedback,
sense of accomplishment, accolades and a huge feeling of
self-worth. What have you got to lose?
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