Welcome SYTYCW Finalist Bridgette O'Hare

I'm super excited to welcome Bridgette O'Hare to my blog today. She was a Top 28 Finalist with So You Think You Can Write with her novel, Lullaby. Not only is she here today to answer my grueling interview questions, but she is also asking us to vote on our favorite cover for Lullaby! See the poll below.

Hoo boy, I don't know about you all, but I'm voting for the Gerard Butler look-alike.

Hi Bridgette, thank you for being here today. Overall, how would you rate your experience with So You think You Can Write Global 2012?

For me, SYTYCW 2012 was an amazing experience. Lullaby is my first novel and when I entered chapter one into the competition, I wasn’t even halfway finished with the manuscript. Being selected as a Top 28 Finalist forced me to focus hard and meet the deadline for submission. It was a true blessing in many ways. I’m an Editor myself, and often times I put my own writing to the side to work on editing for my clients. In addition to pushing me to complete “Lullaby,” the experience of meeting so many great new authors and the support and encouragement everyone in the competition offered was unbelievable – I’m a sociable person and I LOVED getting to network with everyone. Making it to the Top 28 was icing on the cake. I am fully aware of what a great opportunity it was to skip all the formalities of submitting (queries, rejections and more) and just get my manuscript right into the hands of the editors. It was truly a remarkable experience.

We were required to upload the first chapter as our entry in SYTYCW. Is that chapter still in its original form or has it gone through more revisions?

As of right now, it’s still in original form, but I’m in the process of mapping out revisions as suggested by the Editor of Harlequin’s Teen line.

How about the rest of the book? Is it finished? Going through more revisions?

As I said, I had to submit a completed manuscript when Lullaby made it into the Top 28 Finalists, so it was completed. I didn’t make the Top 3 and that was due in part to the fact that the editors didn’t feel my story actually fit into any of the lines that were part of the competition, so they passed Lullaby on to the editor of their teen line. I finally received feedback from the Harlequin Editor and I am working on revisions now.

I’m also considering a revision for the cover. The original design is of my female MC, Halle Michaels. The redesign would be of Aedan, the male MC. See both below to vote on your favorite and enter the giveaway (one of the prizes would be a personalized signed poster from Gary Taylor – the model for the Aedan cover)

Any thoughts on submitting your entry to another publisher or agent?

Actually, yes. This experience has been amazing, but it has also shown me that maybe Harlequin isn’t the best match for my target audience, at least not for this storyline. I now have my own editor and once we have completed revisions I’ll be exploring other avenues. I have a short list of agents I’ll be in contact with. I feel like Lullaby and the Book of Dreams Trilogy are really more of a mainstream fit, Twilight fans would love this Trilogy so it isn’t just for teens.

How long have you been writing?

My mom says I made up stories when I was little, but I don’t remember those. I remember writing poetry and song lyrics from the age of 12 and all through high school. There was a short story here and there, of course, but Lullaby is actually my first attempt at anything beyond that. I began writing it on April 30, 2010. I took almost two years off from it for personal reasons and picked it back up in June of 2012.

Have you ever entered a contest like this one before?

No. This was my first (and only so far), so it was hard to believe I made it as far as I did.

What are your thoughts about the promotional aspect of the contest?

I think it gives writers a realistic taste of what being an author is about now. In today’s world, promotion is key because of the technology and the competition out there. There are many talented writers and sometimes you have to put forth more effort to get your story to the readers because of that. Personally, for the competition, I did focus on promoting my own story, but I also tried to point out to the readers that mine wasn’t the only one worthy of voting for. Maybe everyone isn’t into the Paranormal/Supernatural storyline, and with that in mind . . . I just wanted them to vote for someone!

If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently, if anything?

I would have had not only the manuscript but the blurb that introduced my story more polished before submitting.

What are you working on now?

At the moment, (in addition to revisions for Lullaby) I’m working on Book Two of the Book of Dreams Trilogy – working title, Dream Walkers. I am also writing Book One, Seven More Foul, of my Seven Series as well as a standalone novel, Footprints in the Snow. All are Paranormal/Supernatural, Edge-of-your-seat reads with a Romantic twist.

Of course, I’m also Editing over at Plot2Published.com where we offer editing for Indie Authors as well as Cover designs, Beta Readers, Book trailers and so much more at very reasonable rates.

Yes, oddly enough I do find time to eat, watch Vampire Diaries, and even sleep on occasion.

Where can we find you on the Web?

I’m like Santa . . . I’m all over the place . . . lol.

Facebook Author Page – Bridgette O’Hare

My writing blog – Random Writes of Passage - bridgetteohare.blogspot.com

Facebook Editing Page - Plot2Published Indie Author Services or just www.Plot2Published.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/bridgetteohare @bridgetteohare

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