Approaching the Nexus

The First SPSFC2 Reviews for The Miranda Project are in!

♪ Woah, we're halfway there! ♫

Well, almost.

Phase one of the second annual Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (or SPSFC2 for the acronym inclined) is coming to and end in a little less than a month. On January 31st, the Semi-finalists will be announced, cutting what was once a field of two hundred and eighty down to a mere thirty books. Currently, one hundred books are still in the running, and The Miranda Project by yours truly is still in the competition.

And I have to say, some good books have been cut from the competition already. I have a couple of cuts in my TBR pile and I'm still very much looking forward to reading them for myself. But obviously, not every book is for everyone. And not everyone can win. In the end, two hundred and seventy nine books will eventually get cut.

I haven't had a chance to keep up with reading the competition because I've been working on a super secret writing project for the last few months (more info coming in my next blog post). But my girlfriend and editor--the lovely and talented Vanessa Redmon--has been chugging through a number of books in the competition and has shared her thoughts on some of the best she's read so far on her blog. And that's why I'm so excited that mine is still in the running. A good number of these books sound pretty exciting to me and I'm looking forward to picking them up over time. If I'm being honest, I already ordered one and had it arrive earlier this week.

Though the competition has been going on since August, it's only within the last few weeks that the first reviews for The Miranda Project started to roll in. I admit to having been a little nervous for a number of reasons. But so far, both judges really liked it. You can check out the two reviews on the blogs of the two judges, Hatboy's Hatstand and Pages & Procrastination. Spoiler alert, they were some of the highest scores these judges have given! Hatboy's breakdown in particular is very detailed, and I've enjoyed reading all of his reviews for the other books in the competition he's read. And besides, the quote on the ad below might be the best compliment I could have received:

To say I'm somewhat shocked to have my book doing so well in this competition is an understatement. There are so many quality self-published authors out there. And I had made connections with some of these writers in the competition before throwing my own hat into the ring, and I can speak to the quality of their work. And I try very hard not to listen to the people around me who say great things about my books because I have no interest in getting a big ego. I'm just a guy who likes telling stories (though I do appreciate reviews).

Now, a couple of good reviews doesn't assure my book a spot in the next round of the competition. And if I don't make it through, so be it. I'll happily offer my congratulations to the winner and walk away pleased that a couple of judges liked The Miranda Project. Getting my work in front of more people was the ultimate goal of this competition, and in that I've already succeeded.

In the meantime, check out the other books in the competition. And remember, just because something's been cut doesn't mean it's not a great book. It may just not have resonated with the judges it was divvied out to. So if it looks good to you, pick it up!