Historical Romance

Historical Romance with an Inspirational Touch

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A Spotlight – Samantha Grace

You may have read my post about being judged. Now I am going to spotlight one of my critique partners, Samantha Grace. She has put herself out there in a various contests and is currently in the middle of one. She entered the Dorchester TextNovel, with her story Maid for Seduction. Samantha has been my critique partner for over a year and this is a story I have read and love. Her characters are fantastic and I laughed many times. It is a wonderful historical romance that I hope gets picked up by a publisher soon.

Amy: Samantha, what has been your contest experience to date?

Samantha: Amy, first of all, I’d like to thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your site. It is an honor for me since I’m a huge fan of your stories. Congratulations on your publishing success.

Amy: Awwww, thanks Samantha.

Samantha: I’ve entered several contests over the last year with varying results. Overall, the feedback has been helpful and positive on both works I’ve entered. I’m always grateful to the judges who take the extra time to provide examples and point out what’s working in the story as well as what isn’t.

I’ve also been a contest judge and tried to provide the entries with the same attention and respect I would wish to receive. A story about my six-year-old daughter sums up how I see the judge’s role. We were pretending to be dance teachers to her dolls, but it had been a long day for me and I wasn’t fully engaged in playing. After a few minutes of me half-heartedly dancing with a doll, my daughter turned to me and said, “May I speak to you in private?” She led me away from the dolls and spoke in a quiet voice, “We’re here to inspire the girls.” LOL. What a great lesson from a little one. May we all be an inspiration to others and support their dreams.

Amy: Tell us about the Dorchester TextNovel?

Samantha: The Dorchester Best Cellar contest has been the most fun. I love the direct feedback from other writers and fans. It’s a natural high when someone enjoys your work and wants to read it all. I hope someday to be able to fulfill their requests.

The object is to be in the top 20 by the time the contest ends on November 1st. The top 20 then go before the Dorchester Publishing editors to narrow down to ten finalists. A grand winner will to receive a guaranteed publishing contract and $2,000 advance. Obviously, I’d be thrilled if I won, but I’m really in the contest for the exposure. I’d be content with having my work go before the editors.

Right now, Maid for Seduction is nineteenth in the contest, and I reached that point through votes and readers signing up to follow my story.

Amy: Tell us about Maid for Seduction

Samantha: Maid for Seduction is a lighthearted, fun read with heart. Lady Caroline Mathis always escaped the pain of loss by immersing herself in her uncle’s travel journals and dreaming of sailing to the same exotic lands. Yet, her unexpected betrothal to a stranger crushes her hopes. Her travel-shy fiancé sends an escort to collect her. Unwilling to surrender her dreams completely, spirited Caroline temporarily trades places with her maid and searches for adventure on the journey, convinced her escort is none the wiser. Little does she know, her handsome escort is also engaging in a charade – he’s really her intended, the Marquess of Westin, and he has his own motivation for deception.

Amy: How can we read the excerpts you have posted and vote for you?

Samantha: You may visit www.textnovel.com and search on Maid for Seduction or Samantha Grace. To vote, select the thumbs up symbol. You’ll be asked to register and choose a pen name. A confirmation email will be sent to you, and then you click on the link in the email, pull up my story again and click the thumbs up again. It’s all processed quickly and doesn’t take long to vote. Becoming a fan gives me an added advantage and you’ll receive notifications when I post another section. To become a fan, select the cell phone icon.

Again, thank you very much for allowing me to visit and share my contest experience.

Amy: You can read more about Samantha’s Textnovel experience on her blog at http://samanthagraceromance.wordpress.com

Samantha will be stopping in throughout the day if anyone has any questions you would like to ask her.

20 comments:

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  2. Samantha, I really hope you win. I read some of the other entries, and they don't come close. Yours outshines them all! Best of luck, sweetie!

    ~Phyllis~

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  3. I just love everything Samantha writes. She has such a great sense of humor. This contest is a great way to share one of my favorite authors with my friends and family.

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  4. Samantha,

    I'm following you on the text novel contest, and I love your story. Hope you win!

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  5. I'm going to go over and read it!
    Good luck, Samantha!

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  6. Samantha you sound wonderful and fun! I'm going to check out the celler contest now.

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  7. interesting interview. humor is greatly needed in our day and age and not that easy to write...

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  8. Thank you all for your kind comments. Apparently my fingers had different ideas from my brain. It should be the Dorchester Best Celler Contest. I assure you my CELLAR will not be winning any prizes. :)

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  9. I've been a BIG Samantha Grace fan for years! Love her work. Can't wait to see her first novel published. Nancy M, Sherwood, AR.

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  10. Love you, Nance. Thanks for your years of support.

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  11. Samatha Grace is a rare gem indeed. The humor in her stories truly sets her apart and brings something to it, that many others lack. I've enjoyed every chuckle, every sigh and every word of her stories. Samatha I wish you the best of luck and am certain it will not be long before we see Maid For Seduction on the shelves.

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  12. That sounds like a unique contest. Good luck in it Samantha, and you're little one is mega wise for her age!!!

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  13. I'm not sure why, but textnovel's not letting me in at the moment. But I shall get on as soon as I can and read the story. It's a fun contest, and sounds like you're in with a chance. Good job, and good luck.

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  14. Thank you, everyone, for stopping by and showing Samantha support. As I said in the post, I love this story and I hope to see it in book form sooner than later.

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  15. I love your daughter's admonishment--how cute! Good luck in the contest!

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  16. Samantha: I hope you win, Dear. If your writing is anything like your mothering, you should get all the votes! Loved the dance lesson story!!!

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  17. I'm an entrant too. It's exhausting, updating it every day. I'm ready for November 1st to be here!

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  18. All the best with that contest. Sounds amazing fun and great exposure :)

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  19. Thank you all for your kind comments and well-wishes. It is exhausting, Stephanie. Even if I don't end up in the top 20, I feel I've already won. I've met some of the neatest people, readers and authors alike. And I have one of the greatest support systems. I can't thank Amy or the voters enough.

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