I’ve made some tweaks and changes to the novel since I was a quarterfinalist, two years ago, and I’m hopeful that these small changes may be the thing that sends me forward to the finals!

Wish me luck!

So creative!

I loved it.

I think one of the reasons I enjoy his writing so much is that, while he writes his novels based on two main characters, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers, the stories are never repeated.

Yes, you get to know the characters and you feel as though they are long-time family friends.

You can anticipate how they will act in a certain situation, and are pleased to read that you are correct in your assumptions.

However, it never gets stale.

He always finds a way to change the game and bring a new perspective to a situation that could, very possibly, become old and trite.

In this latest novel, the bodies of two girls are uncovered, and it turns out, locating these girls was Lucas Davenport’s first case as a detective.

So, we flash back twenty years to his first days as a detective and see the case unfold.

This is a different Davenport.  A new, fresh rookie, looking at a crime scene with infant eyes, and it was excellent.

For about 1/3 of the books, we are introduced to a character we love in a new and fresh way.

I love this way of keeping the fresh in a beloved series.

I just spent three months on maternity leave, with my fourth child, and found my creative juices to be unstoppable.

I think it is safe to say that my children, are indeed, my muses.

Which may seem strange, considering the subject matter of The Follow Through, however, with children, all things are fantastical and imagined.  It moves my own imagination and reminds me that, in your mind, anything is possible.

I’ve also begun the process, once again, of trying to market my novel.

I feel as though The Follow Through is calling out and begging to be read, and so I revisit the process of looking for representation, in the hopes that someone else will agree that this is a story worthy of being read by others.

Today, after work, I am back to the drawing board. While I will still be actively trying to market The Follow Through, I’ve begun outlining my next novel. It’s an exciting time, as the thoughts are moving faster than my fingers can type, sometimes!

Wish me luck in this next writing venture!

In this next round, our excerpts have been posted on Amazon.com and are awaiting customer reviews. So, if you are so inclined, I would love if you could help me out!

If you go to Amazon.com, in the Search All Departments box, type in “Amy Bozza.” (Tee-hee…I’m on Amazon!) You will get a list and my excerpt will be first. There will be a tan box to the left that says “Thriller and Suspense” and then to the right of that is my name and the title, which is “The Follow Through.” If you click on the title, it will take you to the page for my excerpt. Here’s the direct link to my page.
You have to download the excerpt, but there is a catch. They only allow downloads to Kindle’s or to Kindle for PC. Imagine my dismay, as I don’t own a Kindle, however, I was able to quickly and freely download Kindle for PC. Again, it’s FREE. Took about two minutes. Once you download the program, you can go back and download the excerpt. If you have a Kindle, you can download directly to your Kindle.

This is the important part: After you have read the excerpt, please go back to Amazon and leave a customer review. I’m happy to take high-fives on the blog in the comments, but please keep the reviews “business-like.”

Thank you for your support!

Someone, somewhere liked my pitch!

A few someones, somewhere liked my pitch!

I’m just thrilled.

Yes, I’m still one of 1,000, but I’m not in the 4,000 that didn’t make it, and that’s big!

So, wish me luck!

Feels good to get the novel out there.  Really good!

The first round is people reading the pitch. 

The grand prize is a contract with Penguin.

Wish me luck!

Their next round of hiring begins March 1, and they will contact me then for the interview process, and if I do well, then I start a paid training period.  I am hopeful that this goes well, because I enjoy writing and blogging so much.  I spend so much time on my personal blog, writing for a website, with a specific purpose to each article would be a welcome change!

So, wish me luck!

It is definitely helping to satisfy my need to write, but I still have more words inside me that are dying to get out.

Also, as you can see on my personal blog, one of my goals for the new year is to nurture my creativity more than I have.  It’s a definite need for me, as I feel more grounded and better centered when I’ve been able to write to my heart’s content. 

Along those lines, I applied, today, to be a blogger at Families.com.  I filled out the application, submitted two sample blogs, and will now wait to hear.  They say that they usually get back to applicants within a week, so I’ll fill you all in when I hear.