Our brilliant judges—Valerie Boyd, Erin Hosier, Betsy Lerner, Brooke Warner, and Alissa Quart—took time away from their long weekends to deliberate over our finalists (see below for a chance to talk to our judges tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8th). Believe me, it was a labor of love. The She Writes Passion Project team was blown away by the passion in every page.

Much as we wanted to have 291 winners (and 291 finalists), we had to pick one.

And the winner is…


Honeysmoke!


CONGRATULATIONS!

Honeysmoke’s memoir, Raising Simone and Nadia, is a standout entry. Her prose is strong yet graceful and her voice impossible to ignore. If you haven’t already read an excerpt from her entry, check it out here. You'll see what we mean.

One of the biggest challenges a memoirist faces is telling her own personal story while somehow making it bigger than herself. Honeysmoke excels at illuminating the joys and struggles of raising mixed race daughters in her own home while closely examining the roots of racism in the world at large. Raising Simone and Nadia manages to be both highly personal and universal, engaging readers in a compelling narrative while also placing us at the center of one of the most heated social issues of our day.

Honeysmoke's prize will begin with a consultation with Christina Baker Kline. Christina will help our winner construct and polish a dynamite proposal. Follow along as you draft your own proposal—Christina will blog about the process and will have plenty of tips for every She Writer.

Want some extra help? Download Christina’s fabulous webinar “Write a Book Proposal That SELLS” or consider working directly with the proposal maven herself (just email services@shewrites.com)!

Still to come:
MARKETING/PUBLICITY: Sarah Wilson
Over the course of an hour-long phone consultation, Sarah will help our winner develop a sure-fire marketing and publicity plan, to be included in her proposal. You’ll learn how to write the crucial marketing section of a book proposal in a way that will catch the attention of publishers.

EDITORS: Amanda Johnson Moon and Lea Beresford
Amanda will edit the proposal that Honeysmoke has discussed with Christina and Sarah. Lea will edit up to two sample chapters (or 10,000 words) to include in Honeysmoke’s proposal. Amanda and Lea will teach all She Writers the art of revision.

AGENT: Erin Hosier
Erin will help Honeysmoke with her query letter and will provide a list of agents who excel at sales in her category. You too will learn the important elements of a query letter and how to make an agent want to read your sample material.

WEBSITE DESIGNER: Sharon Avnon
Honeysmoke’s hour-long phone consultation with Sharon Avnon will educate her about the best author websites, tools for creating them, pitfalls to avoid, how to draw readers to her site, and more. Sharon will share this information with every She Writer on the site.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Courtney E. Martin, Twanna Hines
During hour-long phone consultations, Courtney E. Martin will educate Honeysmoke on blogging and Twanna Hines will indoctrinate her into the world of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools for writers. You’ll be able to use the same tips to make your presence known on the web.

LIFE COACH: Rebecca Rodskog
Becky Rodskog, a seasoned change management consultant who lovingly guides individuals from Point A to Point B on their path to growth and fulfillment, will provide Honeysmoke with a session every other week, enabling her to stay focused and stay sane. You’ll learn change management techniques you can apply to your own life.

EVOCA: Murem Sharpe, the CEO of Evoca, has donated an Evoca Express Pro subscription to Honeysmoke. Think this leading voice-to-web service might benefit your own writing? Check it out at www.evoca.com.


AND DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO TALK TO OUR JUDGES!!!
Join your judges—Valerie Boyd, Erin Hosier, Betsy Lerner, Brooke Warner, and Alissa Quart—as well as Kamy, Amanda, and me for a round table discussion, "How Do You Know If It's a Book?", on Blog Talk Radio Wednesday the 8th at 5pm. We’ll be chatting about what makes a manuscript a book (and not a magazine article or a personal journal) and will be available to answer your questions.

Speak to you then,
Lea

Lea Beresford
Manager, She Writes Services
Co-director, Passion Project

PS. As you know, this was our very first contest. Have a suggestion for the next one? Email passionproject@shewrites.com!