I am submitting my first two books to the RITA Awards, which means that I also get to be a judge for the competition. While both of my books, HEARTSICK and RED BLOODED, have mystery elements, I actually chose to submit them in other categories that I thought were better fits (Paranormal and Mid-Length Contemporary Romance), which means that I can still judge Romantic Suspense!
Now, I know that doesn’t necessarily mean my judging packet
will contain mystery/suspense books, but my fingers are crossed and I’m already
pondering the best mindset to be in when reading these. For example, a suspense
that surprises me is always welcome, as long as those surprises make sense. But,
sometimes, especially with a cozy mystery, it’s fun to guess early on who the
murderer is and get that satisfying feeling when you’re right (no surprises!).
But, then again, maybe I should be focusing more about the
overall writing quality, the romances, or other elements. Having never judged
before, there’s a good chance this will all be well explained to me in the judging
packet. However, if you have judged before and you have any thoughts on the
process, I (and I’m sure other newbies) would love to hear them!
(Friendly reminder: RWA asks that you not talk about any
specific book you may have judged, so please keep that in mind. But, again,
general/overall advice and thoughts would be great to hear!)
3 comments:
O. Caitlin best of luck with your entries. Judging is very subjective. Books that I think of a brilliant others don't care for. I haven't entered for a while as my books are said not to meet the romance criteria. This will be three years I haven't judged. Most important to me was always if the story drew me in. Did I care about the characters. My advice is follow the judging rules and do your best.
Caitlin, good luck with your entries! It's thrilling to be able to enter the RITA. A milestone. :)
I agree with Rita that judging can be so subjective. There aren't many guidelines that I remember from previous years, other than whether it meets the criteria of a romance and whether you'd put it on your "keeper" shelf.
And I'm excited about judging, too! (Though I won't be eligible to judge RS, I usually find some interesting reads.)
Thanks, and yeah, I'm excited about it! I'm sure there will be some great reads in the packet. :)
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