My profile on Freshly Squeezed

I know it seems like I haven't been blogging as much as usual, but it's only perception. The truth is I have three different blogs and this one has been a little lacking in attention lately. That's because I actually just self-published a book (under my real name) and I've been buried in that and the blog that goes with it. I have learned a lot through my self-publishing journey and I'll be sharing that wisdom gained here as well - writing is writing and publishing is publishing.

But in the meantime, I don't think I ever mentioned the contest that I won for the first chapter of Synthesis. I wasn't the only winner - they had several categories. The contest had both industry professional judges and real-life teen readers (it was for YA and MG books), and I garnered one of the Professional Choice Awards. The full list of winners is at Freshly Squeezed.

The award is nice, and it's really good to hear from pros that you're doing something right. Another thing that I really like about Freshly Squeezed is that it provides a lot of feedback and even gives you a chance to incorporate it. It helped with my first page and it definitely helped with my first chapter. It was really nice to get feedback from actual young adult readers - so much of the writers network is made up of writers, which is great, but it's also not the same as the marketplace.

In addition to the contests, Freshly Squeezed does a really nice job of profiling a lot of the winners, their projects and their backgrounds. They did a nice little piece on me and if you want to learn a little more about who I am, here's the link to check it out:

Blair B Burke Profile

So I promise to be back shortly, with information on how to self-edit, tricks I learned from cover design, and the many ways that uploaded an ebook can suck up your time and sanity. See you soon,
B.