Amazon and Penguin are now accepting submissions for the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. This year the annual competition will recognize two winners, one in the genre of general fiction and the other for a superb young adult tale. Both winners will receive a publishing contract with Penguin and a $15,000 advance.

If you have a self-published novel or an unpublished manuscript, you can submit your manuscript at www.creatspace.com. But, be sure to submit your entry before the contest closes on February 5. Time is of the essence as last year Amazon and Penguin received a record-number of submissions. They are capping this year’s contestants after they reach 5,000 entries for each section.

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Figment, the online community for writers, is helping aspiring authors follow through on their New Year's resolution to write more. The beginning of the month marked the start of their new program Daily Themes, which provides writers with a daily prompt to help inspire their creativity. And to make the news even better, many of these prompts have been crafted by bestselling authors!

It's no secret, sometimes it's hard to take the often-repeated advice, "write every day". If you just can't manage to make writing a habit without some extra incentive, Figment's new, easy-to-use Daily Themes will help you get your creativity in gear during the week. The editors at the online community are making getting inspired just as simple as opening an email. Daily Theme subscribers receive a new writing prompt in their inbox Monday through Friday.

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With our new column Adventures in Self-Publishing, we bring you at look at this ever-expanding market. Today, author Alexis Harrington answers our questions about her self-published tale Home by Morning — and what happened when the story was picked up by Amazon's new romance imprint, Montelake.

If you had to describe the story of your historical tale Home by Morning in one (very modern) tweet, what would it be?

A pandemic, treachery, heartbreak, the fire of a lost love rekindled—all this and more is yours in Home by Morning by Alexis Harrington.

Why did you decide to focus on a story that is so much about medicine at the turn of the century?

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It’s that time again when we start to plan for that upcoming year. And as we all get ready to declare our 2012 New Year’s resolutions, it’s the perfect time to get your writing career headed in the right direction. But if you’re nervous about whether or not you’ll be able to stick to your goals, we’re happy to spread the word: Romance Writers of America's local chapters are ready to help you whip your writing into shape! This winter these writers' groups have compiled a selection of online courses (from beginning programs to specialty workshops) that will get you primed for success, pumped up for publishing and ready to take on the world. And not only are these classes convenient, requiring you to simply hop online to learn, but they are also very affordable — each course costs less than $25. Check out the five that our making us considering stretching out our writing muscles and getting in the game. 

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The three act structure. Chances are you’ve heard this writing term referenced in workshops, how-to guides and blog posts (you know, like this one). I came across a message board post from paranormal romance bestseller Alyssa Day where she linked to a blog post that finally, finally explained the previously amorphous concept to me.  

The lesson is written by the late, great TV legend Stephen J. Cannell. And man, could Cannell write. Chances are, if you watched TV, oh, ever, in the 70s or 80s or 90s, you saw one of his shows. From The Rockford Files to The A-Team to Baretta to Silk Stalkings to, my personal favorite, 21 Jumpstreet. Cannell created them all. You read that right, we can thank Cannell for bringing us Johnny Depp. I know.

In addition, Cannell was a great teacher. His lecture is informative and clear and will help lead you through just what the three-act structure is and how it can help you avoid bogging down your manuscript in the middle. Give it a read, you’ll be glad you did.

- Elissa Petruzzi

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