23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

I entered Meowy Christmas in the 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. I didn't win. But I really appreciate the judges commentary. =)

Entry Title: Meowy Christmas
Author: Gregory E Bray
Judge Number: 5
Entry Category: Children's Picture books

Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking. Our system only recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations. As a result, a “0” is used in place of “N/A” when the particular portion of the evaluation simply does not apply to the particular entry, based on the entry genre. For example, a book of poetry or a how to manual, would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal and may therefore receive a “0”.

*If you wish to reference this review on your website, we ask that you cite it as such: “Judge, 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.” You may cite portions of your review, if you wish, but please make sure that the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review as a whole.

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 4
Production Quality and Cover Design:  4
Plot and Story Appeal: 5
Character Appeal and Development: 5
Voice and Writing Style: 5

Judge’s Commentary*:

Cute illustrations. Provide some background color and detail for the illustrations throughout, to give them a setting and texture, and to make the action in the images stand out. That would add a more polished look to the book.

Author writes with a light, happy voice and a nice rhythm. Sentences are nicely patterned, in kid-friendly lengths, using kid-friendly wording. Watch out for some minor typos like "one and another." It looks like an edit pass miss and is not a major problem, but in a small book, these tiny errors stand out.

We get a good spelling lesson in this book for the educational aspect, and it’s such a fun concept to think about what a pet would give as a gift if he or she could select gifts for the family. It’s a look at generosity and reciprocity, as well as an eye-opener about what is of value between loved ones.

The kiss as the return present was expected, but we’re fine with it, since it’s the symbol of the greater gift being time spent together with family. Well done here.

The voices of Charley and Franklin are nicely differentiated. The author has done a good job of personalizing them, so that the reader knows who is talking. Well done. A lovely holiday book and a unique handling of the lesson on what is of highest value during gift-giving holidays.

Halloweensie story reults

My story didn't make the cut. That is OK. I had fun, learned a lot, and read some really great stories. Check out the top stories here and vote for your favorite.

Dusting off the blog. Short Halloweensie story.

Hello all,

*cough* *cough* Phew there's a lot of dust!

It's been awhile since I have posted anything. It's hard to get on here while chasing around a 3 year old. =)

Below is my entry for Susanna Leonard Hill's The 5th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!! The story had to be 100 words or less and contain some form of the words costume, dark and haunt. It was a challenge to complete, but a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it.

Gregory E Bray

Reflections of Halloween (100 words)

Murphy sprang from his cat bed to weird noises and a strange figure in a dark hallway.

It was as if his house was suddenly haunted.

He approached the figure which mimicked his every move.

He got close enough to see it was a monster.

Scared, he flew into the air and stuck into the ceiling.

Something fell off of him and landed on the floor.

He remembered it was Halloween and he fell asleep wearing his costume.

He released himself from the ceiling, laughed at the mirror in front of him and went to see the trick-or-treaters.

 

Free kindle version of "Harvey" now through September 23rd

Get your free kindle version of "Harvey" here: http://www.amazon.com/Tail-Boy-Named-Harvey-ebook/dp/B00DVDJCS4/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411147316&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=the+tail+of+a+boy+named+harvey

Looks best on a 7 inch tablet or greater. Of course it pales in comparison to the printed version. ;)

My first interview =)

My first interview as an author is posted here: http://onemorechapterreviews1.blogspot.com/p/book-spotlight.html

While it was much nicer than a job interview, it was still grueling. Jamie at One More Chapter emailed me the interview questions and all I had to to was type in responses and send them back. Sounds easy right? Well it wasn't. I agonized over my answers. When I thought I had the perfect answer, I ended up changing it. Sometimes I would change an answer several times only to come back to the original answer. But I think I'm happy with the results. If anyone has read it, what are your thoughts?

Children's Book Review is 6 years old!

To celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Children's Book Review, they are giving away a Kindle Paperwhite. More details here.

While you're there, don't forget to try and win a copy of, "The Tail of a Boy Named Harvey"

Max Helms: Curse of the Relic

My film noir detective book is off for a second round of editing. Need to finish up the cover soon.