Congrats to the 2012 Genesis Contest Semi-finalists!

I had to pop in and post the list of Genesis semi-finalists, just announced. The Genesis contest is for unpublished authors, and besides providing excellent feedback on your writing, offers the possibility of having your work put before industry professionals, like editors and agents.

BIG kudos to my awesome critique partner, Susan Miura, a semi-finalist in the Women's Fiction category!!  WOO-HOO!!! I can't give away the title of her entry, but I've read it and it is fabulous!!

Also thrilled for my other friends who made the list...Michelle Shocklee, Connie Almony, Normandie Fischer, and Sally Bayless!

The finalists will be announced at the end of May, and the winner will be announced at the ACFW conference gala in September. The following list is made up of the top 20% of scores in the initial round. Join me in congratulating these up-and-coming authors. Here's the complete list:

Contemporary Fiction

Kimberli Buffaloe
Michael Ehret
Casey Herringshaw
Melissa Lewis
Michelle Massaro
Colleen Shine Phillips
Anne Prado
Will Schmitt
Sarah J. Smith
Chris Storm
Linda J. Truesdell
Brenda J. Young

Contemporary Romance

Cora Allen
Brenda Anderson
Jennie Atkins
Pepper Basham
Kimberly Buckner (double semi-finalist)
Tari Faris
Sarah Hamaker
Kara Isaac (double semi-finalist)
Ava W. Jenkins
Kimberly Johnson
Jessica Keller
Amy Matayo
Shannon McNear
Carol Moncado
Sherri Murray
Andrea Nell
Melissa Tagg
Cindy R. Wilson

Historical Fiction

Heidi Chiavaroli
Jessica Clochesy
Nancy Diekmann
Kathleen L. Maher
Christina Miller
Vanessa Morton
Rachel Neal
Leslie J. Payne
Sarah Thomas
Mary Kay Tuberty
Terri Wangard
Renee Yancy
Elizabeth Byler Younts

Historical Romance

Lance Albury
Whitney M. Bailey
Crystal L. Barnes
Karen Barnett
Debra Calloway
Brenda Carroll
Kay Chandler
Dawn Crandall
Barbara Curtis
Susanne Dietze
Terri Haynes
Lyndee Henderson
Kristi Ann Hunter
Melissa Jagears
Diane Kalas
Susan Anne Mason
Marilyn Rhoads
Christina Rich
Michelle Shocklee
Ginger Takamiya
Brenda B. Taylor
Brandy Vallance
Lanna Webb
Becca Whitham
Rachel Wilder
Lora Young

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Jerusha Agen
Rich Bullock
Morris Christen Civiletto
Joseph Robert Courtemanche
Randall Gannaway
Dena Netherton
Deborah Quigley Smith
Matthew Sheehy
Chris Storm
V.B. Tennery
Larry W. Timm (double semi-finalist)
Michael J. Webb

Romantic Suspense

Sally Bayless
Paula Boire
Suzanne Bratcher
Arlene Coulter
Normandie Fischer
Kelli Hughett
Lesley McDaniel
Carrie Padgett
Ellen Parker
Pat Trainum
Katy Vorreiter
Terri Weldon

Speculative Fiction

Caleb Jennings Breakey
Dennis Brooke
Jo Hall
Stephanie Karfelt
Carla Laureano
John Leatherman (double semi-finalist)
William Ramirez (double semi-finalist)
Luke Scott
Regina Smeltzer
Amanda G. Stevens (double semi-finalist)
Heidi Treibel

Women’s Fiction

Connie Almony
Brenda Anderson
Robin Archibald
Sally Bradley
Kathy Buchanan
Diane Chase
Emily Conrad
Susan Hill
Kara Hunt
Ginger Marcinkowski
Susan Miura
Rachel Moore
Christina Nelson
Julie Scorziell
Katherine Scott-Jones
Dawn Alicia Shipman
Amy K. Sorrells
Julia Toto
Pamela Trawick
Erin Taylor Young

Young Adult

Linda Abels
Sandra Barnes
Kathleen Freeman
Sara Goff
Glenn Haggerty
Mary L. Hamilton
Barbara Hartzler
Katherine Hyde
Teresa Lockhart
Rondi Olson
Rajdeep Paulus
Martha Ramirez
Chawna Schroeder
Sarah Tipton
Cynthia Toney