Jessica Bayliss
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Pitch Madness UNOFFICIAL Blog Hop

2/28/2016

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So, this is a project of multiple excellent minds all looking to get the most fun out of this year's Pitch Madness Event. It started when Eric Rasmussen, a Pitch Madness contestant, suggested a blog hop of sorts to help the Pitch Madness participants connect. Then, Bridgid Gallagher volunteered to get it started. (NOTE: This is totally an unofficial blog hop NOT AT ALL run by the contest organizers.)

The point is to create a fun way for contest-related conversations to blossom. You can find the OFFICIAL event and comment arena on Twitter under
#PitchMadness. 

How to participate
Follow this LINK to Bridgid Gallagher's blog where you can read the following instructions:
"Jump in the comments and share the following:
  • Your name
  • The genre of your Pitch Madness entry
  • A link to your blog
  • Optional: Are you looking for critique partners, beta readers, or ... ? This is a great chance to connect!
If you want to take it a step further, write a blog post and share more about yourself and your manuscript. Link to the post in the comments.
Snag the imageFeel free to use the image I've created in this blog post, just link back to this post to help others find it and participate."

​Now, let's have some Pitch Madness fun!

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A sad day

2/22/2016

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Today's a very sad day for me. My romantic ghost story, "Breathless," is officially gone from the virtual bookshelves. I am in love with this story, and I'm ever grateful to Three Worlds for giving it a shot to exist in the world at all, to Gina Wynn for partnering with me to give it that extra shine and polish, and to Magali Frechette for turning it into a beautiful pic that will always be special to me because it was my first solo cover. I will also be grateful for those who bought it, read it, and reviewed it. Even if a story earns negative feedback, there's nothing worse to a writer than not having it read. And I was lucky to get so many positive responses to "Breathless." So, THANK YOU, everyone.

As for the future of this book, I'm still thinking that through. For now, I'm going to kiss this one goodbye and focus on all the exciting things that have happened in the year since learning Three Worlds was going to put out my first stand-alone title. I've made SO MANY friends (and I'm thinking of the other folks mourning their stories, too). I've learned more about writing than I could have hoped for. I've grown as a writer and actually written 3 new books and three more short stories (and look for NEWS on a couple things VERY SOON). I've learned that helping other writers spread the word about their stories brings me great joy, because stories WANT to be read.

So, though I'm sad, I'm also extremely happy and filled with excitement for what's to come. Thanks so much to everyone who's been part of this-as a reader, a fellow author or publishing professional, and as a friend.

2016 is brand new. Let's see what else is in the cards.

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And the winner is ...

2/14/2016

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Thanks to everyone who voted in the TWP Readers' Choice Red Carpet Awards! Though the press will be closing soon, my two titles, including "Forced Perspective," which was scheduled for release in the spring, cleaned up. Congrats to all the winners, and a special congrats and thanks to Magail Frechette, the designer of the cover for "Breathless." ​
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Good karma

2/13/2016

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Some sad news 

2/7/2016

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It is with a sad heart that I share news just released by owner of Three Worlds Press: they are closing their doors by the end of February. As a new author, I'm still learning the full implications of this, but one I'm well aware of is that my story, "Breathless," will be pulled from the virtual shelves when they close. This means that this story will only be available for a little while longer. Right now, it's free on Kobo and All Romance eBooks, so if you ever thought you'd like to read this short, romantic ghost story, now's the time to grab your copy.
​

This also means that the cover created by Magali Frechette will no longer grace this story. I loved working with Magali (and had hoped to do so again and again), so you better believe I will be posting images of her gorgeous cover for as long as I can.

This also means that my novel, "Forced Perspective," which was due to be released in the spring, is now without a home. I'm extremely grateful to edtor, Gina Wynn, for the time she spent on this book in the edits we've accomplished so far. I'm still in love with this book, and I am not giving up hope that I'll have plans to release it in the future.

As for what comes next, I'll be consulting my good friends in the writing world and doing some research to determine what to do with "Breathless," which I love, dearly. Perhaps this will be my first self-published piece ... maybe with new material so that it's a full novella (I DO have sequel material planned).

In the meantime, I do hope you'll honor this small press that gave this new author a chance (for which I'm ever grateful) and did its best to forge a path in a tough industry and honor this little piece of fiction by checking it out while it still exists in the world.

Hugs all around to my TWP friends. I've learned a great deal from you all and look forward to continued friendship and mutual support as we figure out what's next.

BREATHLESS free on Kobo


BREATHLESS free on All Romance eBooks

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It's a Writer Thing: Why Breaking into Publishing is Like Pac Man

2/5/2016

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Happy New Year! It’s been a busy fall and holiday season, between work on different projects and the release of “Fright before Christmas.” I can’t believe my last post in this series was back in September.

I'm excited to share that "Judging More than Just the Cover," will be hosting my "It's a Writer Thing" posts, including today's. Amber Gregg's blog is a rich and informative resource for writers, plus a lot of fun! 

Those of you who read my last guest post on “Judging More than Just the Cover,” already know that I’m a fan of “Project Runway.” Lately, I’ve been watching the “Junior” version (which is amazing by the way; these kids are incredibly talented and mature), and I was struck by something that comes up all the time on this and similar shows like “Top Chef,” (another of my favorites), and that is how contestants respond to being cut. The reaction is the same regardless of whether we’re talking fashion design or culinary arts: “It’s so hard to leave after getting so close.”
Enter Pac Man.

Okay, what? I’ll explain.


As a new author knee-deep in the querying process, I find myself saying the very same thing when I get a tough rejection. Not that rejections are ever easy, but some are tougher than others. For example, getting a partial request on a query, then getting a full request, then waiting and waiting and waiting only to get a ‘no,’ is like one of these reality show moments.
What makes these experiences similar is that once the ‘no’ comes, you’re at ground zero again. 
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It reminds me of the classic arcade and early home console games like Atari and Colecovision (yes, I’m an 80s child). Back in the day, even if you beat levels 1-99, if you died in level 100, you had to start at the beginning again. Kids these days, with their video game ‘save’ buttons have it easy. Once you beat a particular challenge, you never have to worry about that milestone again. Not so in writing. Sure, you’re always learning, but none of your progress toward getting an agent or publishing contract is saved. As with the old-school video games, once your guys die, you’re out of luck and have to dig in your pocket for another quarter or go home.

Getting so close you can almost taste it is exhilarating, but the crash can be extremely challenging to overcome. Persevering takes determination and a lot of social support. But, just like on “Project Runway,” “Top Chef,” and my other favorite, “So You Think You Can Dance,” there’s always another chance. For example, this year on “Project Runway,” (Season 14) the runner up was someone who literally tried out every single year since the show premiered. That means, he was told ‘no’ thirteen times. By the same people. Then he placed second. Similarly, on “SYCYCD,” a contestant auditioned in one city and was cut, but then showed up in another city, in the very same season. Not only was she given the golden ticket, she won it all. How many author stories have you heard about a book that was rejected countless times before becoming a huge hit?

Getting so close only to be told ‘no’ just plain sucks, and not having that save button only makes it harder, but if those world class Pac Man champs (and the Donkey Kong champs and the Centipede champs) can gain enough mastery to play the game from level one to win, then we can accomplish the same with our writing. And the best part is, we don’t need an endless supply of quarters to get there.

“You can do it, you can write!”
​ 
For more great posts, be sure to check out the other articles in "It's a Writer Thing," as well as the wealth of offerings on "Judging More than Just the Cover."
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