Winners for February Secret Agent

Winning numbers have been drawn for February Secret Agent and the owners have all been emailed their entry numbers.

If you didn't get an email, I'm sorry; that means your ticket number wasn't selected.

Here is the complete list, so you may double check:

• 5FXTRAKG as ENTRY #1


• 0GJ0ROTH as ENTRY #2


• 64CNAYUK as ENTRY #3


• GXV2D568 as ENTRY #4


• 3HUJCYI2 as ENTRY #5


• EA4TV94L as ENTRY #6


• 6YBNO9OL as ENTRY #7


• 6GY0YCV9 as ENTRY #8


• OI8QLWC4 as ENTRY #9


• URIEGQGB as ENTRY #10


• OVE61SU2 as ENTRY #11


• FALDGUBH as ENTRY #12


• 15BYFYBL as ENTRY #13


• SIX4678E as ENTRY #14


• YOY5ZRAD as ENTRY #15


• TNB71V08 as ENTRY #16


• E117T59L as ENTRY #17


• PE660TYC as ENTRY #18


• ZBDN8YCF as ENTRY #19


• 07UMYZV4 as ENTRY #20


• 59IXGNYP as ENTRY #21


• 8NAJ4RJC as ENTRY #22


• SNA0ON3Y as ENTRY #23


• W5TF3B6V as ENTRY #24


• DPJO05GL as ENTRY #25


• DV0DX0DO as ENTRY #26


• GX6CUZCL as ENTRY #27


• 8J7WXPSN as ENTRY #28


• Y6WZ5MEB as ENTRY #29


• 3I8NLE07 as ENTRY #30


• W13LZADQ as ENTRY #31


• V82DC614 as ENTRY #32


• 4Z8WP08V as ENTRY #33


• UYHT2B49 as ENTRY #34


• WEB43PR5 as ENTRY #35


• EHLO6M3O as ENTRY #36


• TQA54VHP as ENTRY #37


• MTJAVXA9 as ENTRY #38


• MT4R2W35 as ENTRY #39


• LJ25AGO4 as ENTRY #40


• YZIKRYEO as ENTRY #41


• MMT9WT4C as ENTRY #42


• C9M6R61D as ENTRY #43


• 0SDVPNYT as ENTRY #44


• OFCEGK2H as ENTRY #45


• SWEQLK8D as ENTRY #46


• 3HS8O14K as ENTRY #47


• G8DXACV6 as ENTRY #48


• 0U8IL7RG as ENTRY #49


• R2AESJCV as ENTRY #50

The alternates are:

• S11L07SP as ENTRY #ALT-1


• MG7GUYE1 as ENTRY #ALT-2

B&N Gift Card Winner!!

Thanks to all 110 of you who left comments!

The winner, chosen with a random number generator (because I'm all sorts of fair) is:

ADRIANA CLOUD

Yay!

Adriana, please email me at facelesswords(at)gmail(dot)com and let me know where to send your electronic gift card (I will send it via email).

Hooray for prizes on Fridays!!

Friday Fricassee

All I can say is:  11 short? Really??

Okay.  I'll give you until noon Eastern to reach the 100 mark on comments to yesterday's post.  Because I really do want to give away a B&N gift card.

To those of you who did comment:  Wow!  Such a beautiful glimpse into your hearts and minds.  I realize that what I've asked has required vulnerability and honesty.  I'll bet many of you twitched more than a little when you had to say something about yourself that you loved.

Want to hear an interesting observation?

Some of you were more comfortable sharing things you CAN DO instead of things ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY.  It's a subtle difference--and it's perfectly okay to love the things you can do.  (I mean, we all love that we can write stories, yes?  It's all good.)

But there's a huge difference between, "I love that I can (fill in the blank)", and "I love my (fill in the blank)" or "I love that I am (fill in the blank)".

Examples from yesterday:

"I love my bravery."
"I love my tenacity."
"I love that I'm able to forgive easily."
"I love that I am honest."

Then, too, there were the physical characteristics, which certainly take bravery and a level of self-confidence to which we all should aspire:

"I love my hair."
"I love my big butt."

(Seriously. Love. That.)

I'm not saying that some of your I-love-about-mes were better or worse than others.  I'm pointing out, really, how hard it is for most of us to SIMPLY LOVE OURSELVES.

And yes. I include myself in this.

It's much easier to say, "I love that I can toss pizza dough ten feet in the air and catch it every time!" than it is to say, "I love that I am confident."

Easier to say, "I love the way I feel when I play a Beethoven sonata well!" than it is to say, "I love that I am musically gifted."

Easier to say, "I love that I've been trying to get published for seven years without quitting!" than it is to say, "I love that I am tenacious."

Sometime in the next twenty-four hours, I want you to stand alone in front of your reflection, and say, "I love that I am ______."  And fill in a character trait or innate gifting.

Are you LOYAL?  Are you FUNNY?  Are you COMPASSIONATE?  Are you HARDWORKING?  Are you BRAVE?  Own it!  Love yourself for it!

And here's the kicker:  Can you look at your reflection and say, "I love me because I'm me!"?

I hope you can.  I hope I can.

Because...THERE IS SO MUCH THAT IS BEAUTIFUL IN THE COLLECTIVE YOU.  Which means there is a lot that is beautiful about the individual yous.

(Oh, and seriously?  Those of you who love certain physical characteristics about yourselves are rocking it!  Society and past hurts and poor self images make it so difficult for us to love things about our bodies.)

All right, then!  If you want to leave a comment to bring the total to 100, please leave it on yesterday's post; not here.

Next week: Secret Agent!  If you haven't found the COURAGE to critique on this blog, give yourself permission to step into the water.  We learn first by watching, and then by doing.  If you've done a lot of watching, it's time to test your own wings.

Oh -- one more thing!  You might like to know that I AM FINALLY DRAFTING MY NEW NOVEL.  Your advice was invaluable; your support immeasurable.  I'm wrapping up the end of chapter 2 right now, and forging ahead with my 1000-words-a-day, 6-days-a-week schedule. And...I'm loving it!

Have a brilliant weekend!

100 Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

Let's give a big Valentine to ourselves, shall we?  Here's what I'd like to do:

Leave a comment that says 2 things:

1.  Something you love about yourself.
2.  Something you love about this blog community.  (This can be directed at a particular person, such as, "I love the way Screamin' Meemee always uses humor in her critiques!", or at the community in general, such as, "I love the way everybody sends expensive chocolate to Authoress on Valentine's Day."

BUT AUTHORESS! WHY DO I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MYSELF?

It's simple, really.  In order to love others, we have to first love ourselves.  Not in an I'm-so-great-even-my-farts-don't-stink" sort of way, but in an "I love myself because I'm a valuable human being" sort of way.

I'm serious.  Self-loathing, self-deprecation, and even self-apathy don't make us very good lovers.  (Or good writers.  Or good employees. Or...you get the idea.)

So.  YES.  Your first comment must be something you love about yourself.

I will leave the first comment, so all's fair.

Let's see if we can get 100 Valentine comments by the end of the day!

Oh, and let me sweeten the deal.  Leave at least 100 comments, and tomorrow morning, I'll choose 1 commenter by random to win a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card.  Because I love you.  (Only comments that follow the rules will be eligible to win.)

Sound good?  Let's do it!

All Sorts of Things About MSFV

Here it is, all in one place: Everything I can think of that anyone marginally new will need to know about this blog.

• MSFV = Miss Snark's First Victim. I didn't start this; it happened organically among the readership. It's a lot easier to type.
• The focus of MSFV is critique, information, and fellowship/encouragement.  This is a place for writers who want to grow into better writers. 
• In-house critiques -- Drop the Needle, Kissing Scenes, Talkin' Heads, et al. -- are for all manuscripts, whether finished or not.  These critiques sessions do not include any agents or editors, so it's okay to throw your work in there if it's not ready for professional eyes.
• Secret Agent Contests and the Baker's Dozen Agent Auction are for completed, query-ready manuscripts only. 
• Secret Agent Contests occur monthly from January to May and July to October.  Submission information (including genres for that month's contest) are always posted one week before the contest week.
• The Baker's Dozen Agent Auction is an annual event occurring in December (with submissions earlier in the fall).  It's by far the most popular event on MSFV.
• All in-house critiques and Secret Agent Contests are free of charge.  Always.
• The Baker's Dozen Agent Auction has an entry fee, payable via Paypal.
• You do not need a Blogger I.D., a password, or special permission from the government to read or to post comments on MSFV.  I have set up the comments so that anyone can leave them.
• When leaving comments (especially critiques), I prefer that you do not choose "Anonymous" to sign your comments.  Use the "Name/URL" option and choose a screen name.
• "Screen Name" is not an official term.  Just...pick one. Call yourself something onscreen.  (No, really. I think I get more emails and questions about this one than anything else.)
• All readers are warmly welcomed to participate in critiquing entries in contests and in-house rounds. You do not have to have an excerpt up to participating in the critiquing.
• If your excerpt is included in a critique round or contest, you are respectfully requested to critique a minimum of 5 other entries.  Because this journey (and this life, for that matter) is about giving, and not only taking.
• This blog includes all genres except erotica and erotic romance.  I've had readers as young as 13 (in a Secret Agent Contest, even), and I choose to keep the content here PG-13.
• In the same vein, I will *** all expletives except "hell" and "damn" in excerpts.  (I don't have a problem with those; they're not vulgar in the...vulgar sense.  I mean, even Ron Weasley says, "Bloody hell!")
• The genres for each Secret Agent Contest are chosen according to whatever that month's agent has on his/her current wish list (usually found on the agency's web site).  I do not choose the genres.
• This blog IS NOT solely for writers of children's fiction.  Yes, my readership is largely comprised of kidlit authors. But I think that's indicative of writers in general. There are a HECK of a lot of people out there writing YA and MG. If you're an adult fiction writer, INVITE YOUR ADULT FICTION WRITER FRIENDS HERE. 
• I do not include picture books in the contests simply because the vast majority of agents don't represent them.  That, and the information and critique on MSFV is focused on the Novel (with a capital N, yes). I don't disparage picture books -- I have written them! If you want to do a special in-house round for PB critique, petition me for it! I need to know that there will be enough interest/participation.
• I do not include query critiques on the blog. There are other excellent online resources for query critiques. MSFV's focus is on the writing.

AND ABOUT AUTHORESS:

(There's a wee tab at the top there called "AUTHORESS".  But here are the basics.)

• I write MG and YA science fiction and fantasy.
• I am represented by Josh Getzler of the Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency.
• I have recently launched an editing service called AUTHORESS EDITS.  If you are interested in an in-depth line edit and editorial letter for your first 3 chapters or 30 pages (whichever is shorter), email me at authoress.edits(at)gmail(dot)com.
• I love high quality/organic chocolate, salted caramels, and toffee.  And cashews.  Feel free to send me any and all of these things. 
• I probably shouldn't write things like that. People will take me seriously and get offended.
• Nevertheless.

Have I forgotten something?  Please feel free to add it in the comment box!