AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .

CONGRATULATIONS

NTRWA thanks all the contestants, first round judges and final round editors for making the 2014 Great Expectations Contest a success. Best of luck to all on their road of publication. ~Angi

CONTEMPORARY SERIES

MEGAN LONG, Associate Editor, Harlequin Publishing                                        

First: *Small Town Nurse, Surprise Pregnancy by Jill Kay Quincy    

Second: **A Pinch of Cinnamon by Tanya Agler             

Third: Mistress of the Manor by Jen Arnold          

Honorable Mention: All I Need Is The Girl by Joanne Dannon 

Honorable Mention: Blackmailing the Country Music Star by Jessica Davidson

HISTORICAL 

CHELSEY EMMELHAINZ, Assistant Editor, William Morrow Avon                       

First:  The Heretic's Daughter by Jessica Trapp  

Second:  Sure Shot Annie by Kari Bovee           

Third:  The Caged Heart by Carla Swafford

Honorable Mention:  Not Your Average Beauty by Michelle Helliwell  

INSPIRATIONAL

RAELA SCHOENHERR, Fiction Acquisitions, Bethany House                     

First: Kept by Sally Bradley    

First:  The Elephant's Secret by Walt Mussell   

Third:  Heart of Valor by Natalie Monk 

Honorable Mention:  A Twisted Trail by Betty Woods   

MAINSTREAM w/ROMANTIC ELEMENTS   

ALEX LOGAN, Editor, Grand Central Publishing/Forever 

First: *First Blush by Jennifer Sanchez      

Second:  Dead Man's Carve by Kym Roberts         

Third:  Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang  

Honorable Mention: Where You Belong by Susan Dunn

NEW ADULT 

ELIZABETH POTEET, Assistant Editor, St. Martin's Press           

First: **The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen   

Second:  Vengeance by Kym Roberts            

Third:   Sanguis Donum by Robin Nelson 

Honorable Mention:  Diary of an Almost Dead Girl by Samantha Lennon  

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE          

LAURA FAZIO, Assistant Editor, NAL/Penguin Group       

First:  Undercover by Linda Bond  

Second:  Seducing the Enemy by Ellen Lindseth          

Third:  The Deep End by Julie Mulhern    

Honorable Mention:  Images by Patricia Dane  

SINGLE TITLE             

MADELEINE COLAVITA, Editorial Assistant, Grand Central Publishing

First: *Wild in Her Eyes by Laura Trentham   

Second: *Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher  by Seana Kelly         

Third:   Love In Living Color by Shelly C. Alexander     

Honorable Mention:  Finding Mr. Wrong by Lisa Houghton  

SPECIALIZED (AE,D,F,F,P,TT) 

KRISTINE SWARTZ, Editorial Assistant, Berkley Publishing Group

First: *The Illusion of Truth by Dawn Alexander 

Second:  Watchtower by J. Hover          

Third: **Recurve by Lisa Fenley  

Honorable Mention: Sucker Punching Magic by Mia Jo Celeste   

YOUNG ADULT

JULIE MIANECKI, Editorial Assistant, Berkley Publishing Group

First: *The Bright Side of the Moon by Jo McAlister

Second:  Burn Me Once by Jo McAlister   

Third:  Alien and the Beast by Amy Paulshock

Third: Sucker Punching Magic by Mia Jo Celeste  

          

**Partial requested

*Full requested

Permission to forward

WHEN ARE WE ANNOUNCING WINNERS?

One category is running a little late... 

Finalists will be notified at the end of this week of their placements.

BEST OF LUCK !
~Angi
AngiMogran.com




We asked our final round editors to return scores by March 17th. Unfortunately, there was a delay.

2014 Finalists

North Texas RWA proudly announces the

2014 Great Expectations Finalists

Congratulations to all who entered and put your work in the hands of strangers. And the Best of Luck to the finalists as they submit their work to our final round editors.

CONTEMPORARY SERIES

MEGAN LONG, Associate Editor, Harlequin Publishing                                        

A Pinch of Cinnamon by Tanya Agler                                    

All I Need Is The Girl by Joanne Dannon 
Blackmailing the Country Music Star by Jessica Davidson  ** 

Mistress of the Manor by Jen Arnold                                    

Small Town Nurse, Surprise Pregnancy by Jill Kay Quincy                

HISTORICAL

CHELSEY EMMELHAINZ, Assistant Editor, William Morrow Avon                       

The Caged Heart by Carla Swafford              

The Heretic's Daughter by Jesica Trapp                    

Not Your Average Beauty by Michelle Helliwell                   

Sure Shot Annie by Kari Bovee                      

INSPIRATIONAL

RAELA SCHOENHERR, Fiction Acquisitions, Bethany House                     

A Twisted Trail by Betty Woods                     

The Elephant's Secret by Walt Mussell                     

Heart of Valor by Natalie Monk                    

Kept by Sally Bradley             

MAINSTREAM w/ROMANTIC ELEMENTS   

ALEX LOGAN, Editor, Grand Central Publishing/Forever 

Blue Sun, Yellow Sky by Jamie Hoang                       

Dead Man's Carve by Kym Roberts               

First Blush by Jennifer Sanchez                      

Where You Belong by Susan Dunn

NEW ADULT  

ELIZABETH POTEET, Editorial Assistant, St. Martin's Press           

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen                 

Diary of an Almost Dead Girl by Samantha Lennon              

Sanguis Donum by Robin Nelson                   

Vengeance by Kym Roberts               

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE          

LAURA FAZIO, Assistant Editor, NAL/Penguin Group       

The Deep End by Julie Mulhern                     

Images by Patricia Dane                    

Seducing the Enemy by Ellen Lindseth                      

Undercover by Linda Bond                

SINGLE TITLE             

MADELEINE COLAVITA, Editorial Assistant, Grand Central Publishing

Finding Mr. Wrong by Lisa Houghton            

Love In Living Color by Shelly C. Alexander               

Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher  by Seana Kelly                

Wild in Her Eyes by Laura Trentham            

SPECIALIZED (AE,D,F,F,P,TT) 

KRISTINE SWARTZ, Editorial Assistant, Berkley Publishing Group

The Illusion of Truth by Dawn Alexander                  

Recurve by Lisa Fenley                      

Sucker Punching Magic by Mia Jo Celeste                

Watchtower by J. Hover                    

YOUNG ADULT

JULIE MIANECKI, Editorial Assistant, Berkley Publishing Group

Alien and the Beast by Amy Paulshock

Burn Me Once by Jo McAlister

The Bright Side of the Moon by Jo McAlister

Sucker Punching Magic by Mia Jo Celeste   

~~  ~~  ~~   ~~  ~~  ~~  ~~  ~~  ~~  ~~   ~~  ~~  ~~  ~~ 

Please feel free to forward or share

**First round scores added incorrectly.

ALMOST THERE

Almost all the scores have been reported and recorded...

We're almost ready to announce our

2014 finalists.

Entries Due on January 26th

All entries are due to be returned Sunday, January 26th.

Two categories are already finished.

Get your entries judged, judges !

>>>>smile<<<<

THANKS for your help and timliness.

~Angi

DEADLINE EXTENDED

through DECEMBER 31st

The contest is still accepting entries
please spread the word

~Angi

ENTER TODAY ~ SUBMIT LATER

Feel free to pay for your entry today 

and work on your entry over the holiday break,

submitting by December 29th.

~ $30.00 ~ 

~ 5,000 words ~ 

~ December 29^th deadline ~ 

~ Finalists first week of February ~ 

~ Winners by St. Patrick’s Day ~

REMEMBER: published authors are eligible for the Great Expectations in categories they haven't published work for the past three years ('13, '12 & '11).

SPREAD THE WORD !

Enter Now

EARLY BIRD PRICES

END

Sunday, December 8th

Prices increase on Monday

Pay today at the early bird pricing and submit your entry by December 29th.

EDITORS & FORMS

CHECK out our Final Round Editors:

CONTEMPORARY SERIES – MEGAN LONG
Associate Editor, Harlequin Publishing

HISTORICAL – CHELSEY EMMELHAINZ
Assistant Editor, William Morrow Avon

INSPIRATIONAL – RAELA SCHOENHERR 
Fiction Acquisitions, Bethany House

MAINSTREAM with ROMANTIC ELEMENTS – ALEX LOGAN
Editor, Grand Central Publishing/Forever

NEW ADULT – ELIZABETH POTEET
Assistant Editor, St. Martin's Press

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE – LAURA FAZIO
Assistant Editor, NAL/Penguin Group

SINGLE TITLE – MADELEINE COLAVITA
Editorial Assistant, Grand Central Publishing

SPECIALIZED – KRISTINE SWARTZ

Alternate Earth, Dystopian, Futuristic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Time Travel

Editorial Assistant, Berkley Publishing Group

YOUNG ADULT – JULIE MIANECKI
Editorial Assistant, Berkley Publishing Group

Erotic Romance – Do to a continued lack of entries, we've had to cancel the Erotic Romance category. Erotic entries can now be made in any category. Please indicate EROTIC in the header and on the entry form heat level. Please review our score sheets to see if your entry will benefit from comments.

The entry form is now available.

2014 CONTEST

We'll be open & accepting entries on

October 1st.

The Great Expectations contest is open to all writers. 

NTRWA is a romance writers’ group and 

our contest score sheets reflect good writing with an emphasis on the romance. 

Our judges are encouraged to leave comments on each entry.

Please review our score sheets to see if your work will benefit from entering.

2013 Great Expectations Winners

Congratulations to all of our winners and a big thank you to everyone who participated!

Contemporary Series 

Final Round Judge: Shana Smith, Harlequin

First: The Wedding Deception by Amanda Barber**

Second: Second Time Around by Katalina M. James**

Third: The Resort by Tami Lund

Honorable Mention: Buried Threads by Kaylin McFarren

Honorable Mention: One More Time by Catherine Cervantes

Historical Romance 

Final Round Judge: Mallory Braus, Carina Press

First: Fool's Gold by Caril Davis **

Second: The Lost Chord by Suzanne Turner**

Third: Secrets and Sapphires by Diana Walker

Honorable Mention: The Tin Man's Heart by Laura Huskins

Honorable Mention: Edward Rochester: The Master of Thornfield by Nancy Hurst

Erotic Romance

Final Round Judge: Kelli Collins, Ellora's Cave

First: Onyx by CT Green**

Second: Her Guardian by CT Green**

Third: Three Weeks with a Sheik - Casea Major

Honorable Mention: Secret Sin by Lisa McKinney

Honorable Mention: The Horse List by Anna Moder

Inspirational

Final Round Judge: Becky Monds, Thomas Nelson

First: In the Light of Day by Kristy Cambron**

Second: A Virtuous Ruby by Piper Huguley**

Third: Edward Rochester: The Master of Thornfield by Nancy Hurst*

Honorable Mention: Knowing Hope by Stacy Monson

Honorable Mention: Love's Forgiving Heart by Katherine McDermott

Mainstream with Romantic Elements

Final Round Judge: Emilia Pisani, Simon and Schuster

First: Unforgettable by Carrie Christie

Second: The Day The Merry Go Round Stopped by Orly Konig-Lopez

Third: The Duel by Catherine Lawrence

Honorable Mention: Love Sick Love by Barbara Flores

Honorable Mention: Divide and Conquer by Carmen Fox

Romantic Suspense

Final Round Judge: Libby Murphy, Entangled

First: Not Quite Legal by Christina Elle

Second: Her Unreasonable Doubt by Anne-Marie Carroll

Third: Shadows at Midnight by Kelli Carlson

Honorable Mention: Fighting Fear by Jo-Ann Carson

Honorable Mention: Starting Over by Brenda Roberts

Single Title

Final Round Judge: Sue Grimshaw, Random House

First: Second Times the Charm by Vanessa M. Knight

Second: In Too Deep by Tracey Alvrez

Third: By Proxy by Kary Regnery

Honorable Mention: Audrey's Promise by Susan Sheehey

Honorable Mention: Gravity by Julie Dove

Specialized (alternate earth, dystopian, fantasy, futuristic, paranormal & time travel)

Final Round Judge: Deborah Nemeth, Carina Press

First: Guardian by Tara Sheets** 

First: The Sins of Madeline Montgomery by Wendy Gray** 

Second: Her Guardian by  C.T. Green

Third: Shift Happens by Jasmin McKenzie

Honorable Mention: Other Than by Mia Celeste

Honorable Mention: Jazz's Cubs by Nancy Corrigan

Young Adult

Final Round Judge: Erin Black, Scholastic 

First: The Abolitionist's Daughter  by Gigi Orlowski**

Second: Awakening by Lori Freeland**

Third: Dehtroned by Beth Burgoon

Honorable Mention: Charming Cassandra by Michele Griskey

Honorable Mention: Macha and the River Blue by Barbara Gabriel

** indicates a request for a full

* indicates a request for a partial

Updates Updates Updates!

All non-finalists will be receiving their judging sheets over the next week. I apologize for the delay, and I could go into details on why but please just accept my humble apologies at the delay.

Finalists, the results from the final round judges should be in by March 15. Expect notification the following week! 

2013 Finalists Announced

North Texas RWA is proud to announce the finalists of the 2013 Great Expectations Contest.

~~ Please forward ~~

North Texas RWA congratulates the following finalists of the 2013 Great Expectations contest. We wish everyone the best of luck in the final round. 

Historical Romance

The Tin Man's Heart by Laura Huskins

The Lost Chord by Suzanne Turner

Secrets and Sapphires by Diana Walker

Fool's Gold by Caril Davis

Edward Rochester: The Master of Thornfield by Nancy Hurst

Erotic

Onyx by CT Green

Three Weeks with a Sheik - Casea Major

Secret Sin by Lisa McKinney

Her Guardian by CT Green

The Horse List by Anna Moder

Inspirational

Knowing Hope by Stacy Monson

A Virtuous Ruby by Piper Huguley

Edward Rochester: The Master of Thornfield by Nancy Hurst

In the Light of Day by Kristy Cambron

Love's Forgiving Heart by Katherine McDermott

Mainstream with Romantic Elements

The Day The Merry Go Round Stopped by Orly Konig-Lopez

The Duel by Catherine Lawrence

Divide and Conquer by Carmen Fox

Unforgettable by Carrie Christie

Love Sick Love by Barbara Flores

SIngle Title

In Too Deep by Tracey Alvrez

Second Times the Charm by Vanessa M. Knight

By Proxy by Kary Regnery

Gravity by Julie Dove

Audrey's Promise by Susan Sheehey

Specialized

The Sins of Madeline Montgomery by Wendy Gray

Guardian by  C.T. Green

Shift Happens by Jasmin McKenzie

Other Than by Mia Celeste

Jazz's Cubs by Nancy Corrigan

Young Adult

Awakening by Lori Freeland

Dehtroned by Beth Burgoon

Macha and the River Blue by Barbara Gabriel

The Abolitionist's Daughter  by Gigi Orlowski

Charming Cassandra by Michele Griskey

Romantic Suspense

Her Unreasonable Doubt by Anne-Marie Carroll

Not Quite Legal by Christina Elle

Fighting Fear by Jo-Ann Carson

Starting Over by Brenda Roberts

Shadows at Midnight by Kelli Carlson

Series Contemporary

The Wedding Deception by Amanda Barber

Buried Threads by Kaylin McFarren

Second Time Around by Katalina M. James

One More Time by Catherine Cervantes

The Resort by Tami Lund

*Finalists entries have been sent to the final round judges.
**All entrants who did not final will receive their judging packets over the next month.

Great Expectations is now Closed to New Entries

We could use a few more judges in Single Title, YA and Specialized!

Good luck to all our entrants!

Great Expectations Deadline Extended to January 1st at Midnight

Heads up folks! I have extended the deadline for Great Expectations to midnight tomorrow due to low entries in the Erotic category! I am really looking for more Erotic Romance entries, so review the rules and get those 25 pages in. Because I extended for that category, we are open to all other entries as well. I will shut down entry forms and paypal links tomorrow at midnight CST (that's 1 a.m. for you East Coasters) and January 2nd for our Australian friends.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get your entries in front of our judges! Don't delay!

Why Enter Great Expectations?

It's November 5, one day before the U.S. elections, day 5 of NaNoWriMo 2012, one week after Hurricane Sandy, forty-nine shopping days until Christmas and yes, it's a Monday. In other words, there's a lot going on in the world.  But take a few minutes to assess why entering a writing competition like Great Expectations can be a great thing for you, your writing, and your career.

Great Expectations encourages inspiration, learning, improvement, discipline, experience, and publishing.  

Inspiration

A writing competition with different categories can encourage you to polish that story you've always wanted to write. Great Expectations offers you a chance to enter the first twenty-five pages of your manuscript in the following romance categories:

• ·         Contemporary Series
• ·         Erotic Romance
• ·         Historical
• ·         Inspirational Contemporary
• ·         Mainstream with Romantic Elements
• ·         Romantic Suspense
• ·         Single Title
• ·         Specialized (Futuristic/Fantasy/Time Travel/Paranormal)
• ·         Young Adult

Learning

Every entry will be evaluated by at least five first round judges and scored. Feedback is often provided by those judges. Finalists will then be reviewed by professional editors from a variety of publishing houses. Previous entrants to Great Expectations have found the feedback invaluable to improving their manuscripts.

Improvement

Writers who apply what they learn from the feedback have the chance to polish their manuscripts for future competitions and submissions. Imagine the chance to know what in your first twenty-five pages really resonated with the judges and where they had questions. Too often, writers don't have access to this kind of information. You have a chance to improve the quality of your writing, your submissions, and your story just by entering.

Discipline

Like all competitions, Great Expectations has some hard and fast deadlines. From early bird entries to the very last day you can enter. To take advantage of the other benefits, you have to meet those deadlines. Discipline helps writers become more focused not only on their story, but also their method.

Experience

Experience is the best teacher. Whether you are a first time pre-published author, a veteran of writing competitions, or an author looking to experience a new genre, Great Expectations can help you achieve experience in that area with valuable feedback, contacts, and learning.

Publishing

Many finalists in the Great Expectations contest (and even some who didn't final) used the experience, the learning, and the feedback to turn their entries into polished full submissions and publication. Final judges may request full manuscripts during the judging process as well, so just by entering you have the chance to make it to the short-list of authors an editor wants to see more from.

The only question you should have left is, why aren't you entering Great Expectations?

Enter today.

Great Expectations 2013 Is Open and Accepting Entries

Welcome to the 2013 edition of Great Expectations. This is a great contest for unpublished authors and authors seeking to try their hand at a new genre. Everything you need to know about the contest is here at the blog including how to enter and to submit your entry fees. Many previous winners have gone on to publish their manuscripts and NTRWA couldn't be prouder or happier to host this event.  I'm looking forward to seeing your entries! So be sure to check back often for updates and you can also like our Facebook page where I will do my best to keep up to date with everything you need to know.

Great Expectations 2013 Needs First Round Judges!

If you are entering the Great Expectations Contest (or even if you aren't), please consider serving as a judge!  We need both published and pre-published writers of romance and women's fiction who are willing to provide constructive feedback to their fellow writers.  Don't worry if you've never judged before; we'll provide you with informative training and answer all of your questions via our judges' Yahoo group.

If you are interested in judging, please take a few minutes to fill out the information form here:



Within about 48 hours of the submission of your form, we'll send you an e-mail invitation to join the Yahoo Group.  We ask that all judges join the group (if you don't want to receive the messages, you can set your preferences to "daily digest" or even just receive "special notices" from your friendly neighborhood coordinator).

As always, thank you for supporting the Great Expectations!

2013 Editor Judges

North Texas RWA is pleased to announce the final round judges for the 2013 Great Expectations contest:

Contemporary Series – Shana Smith, Harlequin

Erotic Romance – Kelli Collins, Ellora's Cave

Historical – Mallory Braus, Carina Press

 

Inspirational Contemporary – Becky Monds, Thomas Nelson

Mainstream with Romantic Elements – Emilia Pisani, Simon and Schuster

Romantic Suspense – Libby Murphy, Entangled

Single Title – Sue Grimshaw, Random House

Specialized (Futuristic/Fantasy/Time Travel/Paranormal) – Deborah Nemeth, Carina Press

Young Adult – Erin Black, Scholastic 

2012 Winners!

CONGRATULATIONS
North Texas Romance Writers of America is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Great Expectations Contest.  We had six requests for partial manuscripts and four requests for full manuscripts. we can't wait to see these submissions (and all our talented finalists and entrants) see their publishing dreams come true!

Contemporary Series 
Denise Zaza, Harlequin
First ~ Southern Comforts by Nan Dixon
Second ~ Dangerous Exposure by Tracey Alvrez
Third~ The Italian's Return by Angela Bissell
Honorable Mention ~ Blueprint for Love by Gina Nelson

Erotic Romance
Katherine Pelz, Berkeley
First ~ Teach Me by Ella Sheridan**
Second ~ Second Chances by Anna Moder*
Third ~ Final Girl by Kylie Breakey*

Historical Romance
Sue Grimshaw, Random House
First ~ The League of Rogues by Lauren Smith
Second ~ Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Lea Taddonio
Third  ~ The Winds of Fate by Elizabeth Bysiek
Honorable Mention ~ The Secret of Whitfield Manor by Kerry Feldmann

Inspirational Romance
Natalie Hanemann, Thomas Nelson
First ~ The Centurion by Tina Leonard*
Second ~ The Heir of Stainsby Hall by Susan Mason
Third ~ The Lady's Masquerade by Sherrinda Ketchersid
Honorable Mention ~ Suburban Straightjacket by Carol Moncado

Mainstream with Romantic Elements
Emilia Pisani, Gallery/Pocket Books
First~ Good Liars by Genevieve Wilson
Second ~ Taylor Made Life by Kary Rader
Third ~ Fire Point by Meg Mims
Honorable Mention ~ Barefoot Family Chronicles by Kristi Rhodes

Romantic Suspense
Libby Murphy, Entangled Publishing
First ~ To Trust a SEAL by Julie-Ann Miskell**
Second ~ Edge of Danger by Danniele Worsham w/a Dani Wade*
Third ~ Mesmerized in Madagascar by gg guthridge
Honorable Mention ~ Dancing with Danger by Laura Sheehan

Single Title Romance
Meredith Giordan, Berkley
First ~ Balancing Act by Pamela Gibson**
Second ~ One Final Night by Nan Dixon*
Third ~ Alive at 5 by Linda Hurtado w/a Linda Bond
Honorable Mention ~ Betting Brenda by Jennifer Britt

Specialized (alternate earth, dystopian, fantasy, futuristic, paranormal & time travel)
Talia Platz, New American Library
First ~ Dark Bringer by Mia Celeste*
Second ~ The Book of Dracon by Mac Perry
Third ~ Moon Borne by Heather Boey
Honorable Mention ~ When Angels Soared by Lana Douglas

Young Adult Romance
Elizabeth Bistrow, New American Library
First ~ Alyce in Werewolf Land by Bailey Lynn**
Second ~ Invisible by Clover Autrey*
Third ~ The Gift by S.A. Tudhope
Honorable Mention ~ Dead Lucky by Abby Gaines

* Partial Requested
** Full Requested
Permission to forward granted ...

Finalists Announced!

North Texas RWA is proud to announce the finalists of the 2012 Great Expectations Contest.

~~ Please forward ~~

North Texas RWA congratulates the following finalists of the 2012 Great Expectations contest. We wish everyone the best of luck in the final round. 

~~ Contemporary SERIES Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR: Denise Zaza, Harlequin

·         Dangerous Exposure  by Tracey Alvrez

·         The Italian’s Return by Angela Bissell

·         Southern Comforts by Nancy Evertz

·         Blueprint for Love by Gina Nelson

~~ EROTIC ROMANCE Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR:  Katherine Pelz, Berkley Heat

·         Final Girl  by Kylie Breakey

·         Second Chances by Anna Moder

·         Teach Me by Ella Sheridan

~~ HISTORICAL CATEGORY ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR: Sue Grimshaw, Random House

·         The Winds of Fate by Elizabeth Bysiek

·         The Secret of Whitfield Manor by Kerry Feldmann

·         The League of Rogues by Lauren Smith

·         Between the Devil and the Deep Blue See by Lea Taddonio

~~ INSPIRATIONAL Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR: Natalie Hanemann, Thomas Nelson

·       The Lady’s Masquerade by Sherrinda Ketchersid

·       The Centurion by Tina Leonard

·       The Heir of Stainsby Hall by Susan Mason

·       Suburban Straightjacket by Carol Moncado

~~ MAINSTREAM with romantic elements Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR: Emilia Pisani, Gallery and Pocket Books

·       Fire Point  by Meg Mims

·       Taylor Made  by Kary Rader

·       Barefoot Family Chronicles by Kristi Rhodes

·       Good Liars by Genevieve Wilson

~~ Romantic Suspense Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR: Libby Murphy, Entangled Publishing

·       Mesmerized in Madagascar by gg guthridge

·       To Trust a SEAL by Julie-Ann Miskell

·       Dancing with Danger by Laura Sheehan

·       Edge of Danger by Danniele Worsham

~~ Single Title Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR:  Meredith Giordan, Berkley

• Betting Brenda by Jennifer Britt
• Alive at 5 by Linda Bond
• One Final Night by Nancy Evertz
• Balancing Act by Pamela Gibson

~~ SPECIALIZED Category

      Fantasy, Futuristic, Paranormal & Time Travel ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR:  Talia Platz, New American Library

·       Moon Borne by Heather Boey

·       Dark Bringer by Mia Celeste

·       When Angels Soared by Lana Douglas

·       The Book of Dracon by Briana MacWilliam

~~ YOUNG ADULT Category ~~

FINAL ROUND EDITOR: Elizabeth Bistrow, New American Library

·       Invisible by Clover Autrey

·       Alyce in Werewolf Land by Lynda Bailey

·       Dead Lucky by Abby Gaines

·       The Gift by S. A. Tudhope

Almost there ....

We're thiiiis close to finishing the first-round judging.  All you contestants, please try to be patient.  With any luck, we'll be able to announce finalists by Monday, February 6.

Entry Period Closed

The entry deadline for this year's Great Expectations Contest has passed.  In the next few days, I'll send out the entries to our fabulous first round judges.  If you entered, I'll send you an e-mail to let you know when the judges have the entries.

If you missed our deadline, we're so sorry ... but we hope you'll come back next year!

Countdown to Entry Deadline!

The deadline for entering the Great Expectations is fast approaching ... don't forget to submit your entry by the end of the day on December 30.

Please note that the coordinator (Wendy) is going to be away from e-mail (yes, there are still places where the internet does not reach) until Wednesday, December 28.  If you have questions, go ahead and e-mail them ... but don't be alarmed if you don't receive an answer until Wednesday evening.

Happy holidays!

2012 Editor Judges - Updated!

North Texas RWA is thrilled to announce that Libby Murphy from Entangled Publishing will be our new final round judge for the romantic suspense category.   Our revised list of final round judges for the 2012 Great Expectations Contest is:

Contemporary Series ~ Denise Zaza, Harlequin

Single Title Contemporary ~ Meredith Giordan, Berkley

Erotic Romance ~ Katherine Pelz, Berkley

Historical Romance ~ Sue Grimshaw, Random House

Inspirational Romance ~ Natalie Hanemann, Thomas Nelson

Specialized (FFTP) ~ Talia Platz, NAL

Mainstream with Romantic Elements ~ Emilia Pisani, Pocket Books

Romantic Suspense ~ Libby Murphy, Entangled

Young Adult ~ Elizabeth Bistrow, NAL