About Jennifer   | Amazonian Idol!? Hey Everybody, Here's your chance to win a signed copy of The Con Artist of Catalina Island! I'm in the race of my life in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. I entered my unpublished McAfee Twins novel The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills in the contest-over 5,000 manuscripts from 20 countries were entered-and I've made it to the Top Ten! Now it's a voting contest a la American Idol -- the entry with the most votes from the public wins. This is how you get a free copy of Con Artist, while helping to keep the twins in print: Go to Amazon and vote for The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills (it only counts if it's ranked with 4 or 5 stars), send me an email to ABNA@jennifercolt.com with your reviewer name and date you reviewed, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to be held on March 31st. TEN SIGNED, FIRST EDITION CON ARTIST HARDCOVERS WILL BE GIVEN AWAY! To vote, first go to: Click HERE to go to The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills Amazon Page 1. Click on the Read the First Four Chapters link next to my picture. 2. Download the .pdf excerpt and read some or all it. 3. Backpage to the page you started at. At the very bottom of the page, click on the 'Share Your Thoughts: Create a New Review' button. 3. Enter your star rating and write a short review of the excerpt and. . . 5. VOILA! Mama gets a new publishing contract. Thanks for your help, and please pass this on to anyone who might want to help a struggling writer (oops, I meant "emerging novelist"). xoxo Jennifer Colt P.s. More info on the contest and the Publisher's Weekly review of my book excerpt below. This contest is open only to people 18 years of age or older and is void where prohibited by law. _______________________________________ Elizabeth Gilbert, international bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love, has reviewed The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills: A McAfee Twins Novel. "OK, take the Hardy Boys. Make them into modern twin girls (one gay, one straight, both redheaded, both lifetime denizens of Hollywood, California) and set them loose to solve crimes in a city gone mad with reality shows, paparazzi, and out-of-control celebrities. Zany, yes – but it works. . . You can't teach someone to write like this; you are either born able to generate such wit, or you'll never be able to learn it. . . I got a big kick out of this story, and only hope there will soon be another madcap crime spree in Hollywood for the McAfee Twins to solve." You can read the rest of the review here. _______________________________________ Susan Petersen Kennedy, President of Penguin Group (USA), commented: "The range of imagination among the finalists is incredibly broad. Each manuscript has a distinct voice and setting, and it will be fascinating to see which novel ultimately ends up capturing the interest of readers everywhere." The Top 10 finalists' excerpts will be accompanied by the reviews and rankings they received in previous stages of the contest from Amazon Reviewers and Publishers Weekly. The Top 10 finalists' works are now being read by a prestigious panel of top publishing industry professionals, including: Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love; literary critic John Freeman, President of the National Book Critics' Circle (NBCC); literary agent Eric Simonoff, Co-Director of Janklow & Nesbit Associates; and Publisher Amy Einhorn, of Amy Einhorn Books. These experts will each read all 10 manuscripts and, on or about March 17th, post their comments on Amazon.com. __________________________________________ The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills manuscript review by Publishers Weekly, an independent organization Twin private investigators Kerry and Terry McAfee are used to working the sleazy side of Hollywood, but they get more than they bargained for when they save celebrity "It" girl Bethany from aggressive paparazzi and end up wanted for kidnapping. The charges are dropped, thanks to their lawyer and friend Eli Weintraub and a convenient reality television show taping, and the whole thing may have been a publicity stunt for Bethany's up-coming tour, but something's not adding up. Bethany's manager hires the twins as the star's latest pair of bodyguards, only to have Bethany disappear in a stolen car. With the star on the loose and in disguise, the twins have their work cut out for them. Then people start turning up dead. Fans of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series would be entirely at home with level-headed Kerry, wannabe-stuntwoman Terry, and their assortment of odd-ball friends and acquaintances, from a trio of helpful prostitutes to dog-sitter/actor/duck hatcher Lance Manley. Lively characters and plenty of action and humor make this mystery more than worthy of its wacky La-La Land setting. |
