GOTCHA! winners announced!
Congratulations to all who entered the Gotcha Contest on your fine work. 2007 was the tenth year for the Gotcha and our first all-electronic contest. Submissions this year nearly doubled last year’s totals. Because of the tidal wave of entries and the overall excellent quality of the manuscripts, we decided to increase the number of winners. Following the Golden Heart tradition, we awarded places to the top ten percent of entries in each category.
We would like to thank our wonderful editors who graciously agreed to read and evaluate the additional submissions.
Congratulations!
Joy Baxter and Ann Elizabeth Fischer
Category Winners
- Series Mystery Romantic Suspense
- First Place: Man with a Mission - Vivienne Constable
- Second Place: Hooked - Diane Ramsay
- Third Place: Last Chance - E.J. Brighton
- Fourth Place: Second Chances - Nicole Chubaty
- Series Contemp
- First place: Hot Night in the City - Ellie Huse
- Second place: Delicious - Judie Aitken
- Third place: Talk of the Town - Barbara Scott
- Fourth Place: Shadows and Light - Sandra Hyde
- Fifth Place: Hide and Seek Love - Paula Keller
- Fifth Place: Second Chance Secrets - Poppy Reiffin
- Single Title Romantic Suspense
- First Place: Hot Pursuit - Lynn Raye Harris
- Second Place: Conspiracy - Anna Perrin
- Second Place: Thrillchaser - Anne Marie Becker
- Third Place: Sanctuary - Teri C. Bradburn
- Third Place: The Price Of Paradise - Lark Howard
- Paranormal
- First Place: The Unwilling - Diana Groe
- Second Place: Dyad Quest - Ann Hinnenkamp
- Third Place: Forbidden - Laurie Cooper
- Fourth Place: A Binding Enchantment - Christie Kelley
- Fifth Place: Prophecy of Love - Mary Boozer
- Sixth Place: Shadow Hunter - Melissa Haack
- Historical
- First Place: Red Bird Song - Beth Trissel
- Second Place: Reclaiming Love - Angela Johnson
- Third Place: MisMatched - Alleyne Dickens
- Fourth Place: The Serpent’s Tooth - Jessica Darago
- Fifth Place: Mastering the Marquess - Vanessa Kelly
- Sixth Place: Once Upon a Masquerade - Tamara Hughes
- Sixth Place: Hearts in Winter - Debra Maher
- Eighth Place: Portrait of a Nightingale - Amanda Collins
- Inspirational
- First Place: The Beholder - Melanie Dickerson
- Second Place: New Hope - Allison Studer
- Third Place: Bridegroom’s Revenge - Jessica Nelson
- Fourth Place: The Woodcutter’s Daughter - Melanie Dickerson
- Single Title Contemporary
- First Place: Desperate Favors - Yvonne Kennedy
- Second Place: London Falling - Barbara Weismantel
- Third Place: Ride the Wave - Zana Bell
- Third Place: Faith of the Heart - Sandy James
- Fourth Place: Trusting Hearts - Jane Carver
GOTCHA! Contest information - FOR REFERENCE ONLY!
I made my first sale through the GOTCHA contest! - Kathrynn Dennis
*Over 50% of 2006 Gotcha! winners had a MS requested by an editor.
Catch that editor’s attention with the GOTCHA!
Fee: $25 ($22 for Members of Silicon Valley’s chapter)
Eligibility: Not published in category entered.
Enter: First 15 manuscript pages. Top 3 winners in each category are sent to an editor. Winners have 2 weeks to revise the 15-page entry prior to editorial review.
Deadline: Received by November 15, 2007
First round judges: 1 published author and 3 experienced, trained writers. Lowest score is dropped and 3 highest determine final score. All score sheets will be returned. Top three winners in each category will be sent to an Editor. The winners will have 2 weeks to revise their 15 page entry prior to Editorial review.
Special drawing: For early entries only - a chance to win Margie Lawson’s triple pass Deep Editing Critique. A three-part individual critique by Margie Lawson to add psychological power to your 15-page contest entry. The winner will be drawn at random from all paid entries received by November 7, 2007. Prize offer good from January 27, 2008 until April 1, 2008.
In-depth Information:
- Participating Editors
- How to enter
- Category coordinators
- Judging
- Official Rules
- Gotcha category definitions
- FAQ - All questions answered
- Gotcha Hall of Fame - past results
- Margie Lawson
- GOTCHA entry form in rtf
- 2007 GOTCHA sample score sheet in pdf format
2007 participating editors
Single Title Contemporary:
Keyren Gerlach, HQN Books
Single Title Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Christopher Keeslar, Dorchester
Harlequin/Silhouette Series/Contemporary Storylines:
Susan Litman, Silhouette
Historical (Before 1945):
Hilary Sares, Kensington
Harlequin/Silhouette Series Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Allison Lyons, Harlequin Intrigue
Paranormal (Specialty/Time Travel/Fantasy):
Jessica Wade, Berkley/Jove
Inspirational:
Emily Rodmell, Steeple Hill
How to enter
The 2007 GOTCHA contest has gone electronic! Email your entry to the appropriate category coordinator listed below.
1.) Attach the signed Contestant Agreement.
2.) Attach the first 15 pages of your manuscript in standard double spaced format (see the official rules for details) with 1 inch margins, title in the upper left corner and page number in the upper right corner. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT.
3.) Put your name and title in the email subject line.
4.) Pay by PayPal (below) or by check.
If you pay by PayPal, attach a copy of your PayPal receipt to your entry.
To pay by check, send a $25.00* check or money order payable to SVRWA to: Gotcha! c/o Rachel Taylor. *Address has been removed now that the contest is in the judging phase.
Please write your phone number, the category entered, and “GOTCHA!” on the check. Do not send the check in any manner that requires a signature.
*The fee for Silicon Valley chapter members is $22.00.
5.) Category coordinator will confirm receipt of entry via email.
Have questions about entering that were not answered above? See our FAQ for help!
The PayPal options have been removed! The 15th has passed! Good luck to everyone who entered!
Category Coordinators
Single Title Contemporary:
Teri Bradburn and Anne Maragoni
single-title-contemporary-gotcha@svrwa.com
Single Title Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Janet Miller
single-title-romantic-suspense-gotcha@svrwa.com
Harlequin/Silhouette Series/Contemporary Storylines:
Rita St. Claire
series-contemporary-gotcha@svrwa.com
Historical (Before 1945):
Esther Erman
historical-gotcha@svrwa.com
Harlequin/Silhouette Series Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Anne Lum
series-romantic-suspense-gotcha@svrwa.com
Paranormal (Specialty/Time Travel/Fantasy):
Linda Hill
paranormal-gotcha@svrwa.com
Inspirational:
Susan Mitchell
inspirational-gotcha@svrwa.com
If you are unsure which category to enter, check out the category definitions here.
Judging
Our goal is to make the GOTCHA! Contest a valuable experience for every writer, not just the winners. Entrants will receive feedback on their entry. Judges are encouraged to write comments directly on the entries. Each entry will be read and scored by 4 Judges (1 author published in romance and 3 experienced, trained writers). The lowest score is dropped and the 3 highest determine the final score. The 3 winners in each category have 2 weeks to review the Judges’ comments and, if they wish, revise their 15-page entry prior to editorial review.
Have questions about judging that were not answered above? See our FAQ for help!
Winning the Gotcha was a huge positive stroke that helped me keep faith in my book. - Elle James
Official Rules
• You are eligible to enter any category in which you are NOT PUBLISHED.
• The email entry must consist of the first 15 pages of your manuscript in standard double-spaced format with 1-inch margins, attached to your email in rtf format. Notice for Vista OS/Office 2007 users: If your word processor is the Office 2007 version of MS Word, please save documents in the rtf file format compatible with earlier versions, not the new .rtfx format.
The title must be placed in the upper left-hand corner of each page with the page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Attach a completed entry form and send to the appropriate category email address.
• The email subject line should include your name and the manuscript title.
• DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT
• The Contestant’s Agreement section on the entry form must be completed for your entry to be accepted. Typing your name and emailing the entry are equivalent to signing the form.
• The contestant is responsible for choice of category entered and for emailing the entry to the correct address.
• Please tell us the targeted publisher (and line, if for Harlequin or Silhouette series romances. For example: Intrigue, Next, Everlasting, Luna, etc.) It will help our judges evaluate your entry accurately.
• You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must be emailed separately and must include the entry fee.
• You may enter more than one manuscript in the same category.
• You may not enter a single manuscript in more than one category.
The Contestant’s Agreement must be filled out and signed for your entry to be accepted. The Agreement serves as your cover sheet. Please tell us the targeted publisher. If your entry is focused toward a Harlequin or Silhouette “series” line…..tell us which one…..for example: Intrigue, Intimate Moments, Bombshell, Desire, Next, SuperRomance, Everlasting, Mills & Boon Medical. This will help our judges evaluate your entry correctly. You may enter as many times as you wish but each entry must be e-mailed separately and include the entry fee.
YOUR ENTRY MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CATEGORY COORDINATOR NO LATER THAN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15th, 2007.
Winners will be notified no later than Sunday, January 27, 2008.
Note: There must be at least 5 entries in each category. If the minimum number is not received, the category will be eliminated and the entry fees returned.
Thanks for your interest in the 2007 Silicon Valley RWA GOTCHA! Contest. We look forward to receiving your entry—and good luck!
Questions
Please read our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). You can find an answer to everything from why the GOTCHA! went electronic to how to format your manuscript.
Contact the GOTCHA! Coordinators Ann Fischer and Linda Baxter at gotcha@svrwa.com for answers to any questions not found in the FAQ!
Previous GOTCHA! results
GOTCHA! Hall of Fame: See the GOTCHA! results for previous years and what those manuscripts and authors have gone on to accomplish! Listed in pdf format.