Our 2014 Word of the Year

Confession time. I didn't want a 2014 word. In 2011, I prayed for a word for the upcoming year, and the Lord gave me HOPE as our word. By mid-January, our family was hit with something so hard, so severe that it became a two-year ordeal, finally ending one week ago today. The journey was painful and unpleasant, and one I still have difficulty sharing, because it's not my story to tell. But through it all God reminded us not to give up HOPE. And during the past two years, I've developed a new set of eyes to see more clearly people who are suffering, and a new heart to understand and empathize with certain kinds of pain people live through on a daily basis. As much as we feel life needs to pause for a moment - to allow us to catch our breath - it doesn't. Life goes on, and so must we.

Our authors went through their own trials too, and the publishing companies began to grow.

At the end of 2012, I was eager to see the year go, so I eagerly prayed for a new word. This time the word was JOY. Again, by mid-January, we were being hit with other problems - some business, some personal, some health. And we're still dealing with them 11 months later. I shared some of the health problems I dealt with earlier this year - and although I had hoped the problems were gone when I wrote that post, they quickly returned.

But this year, we did have many moments of pure JOY and we learned, as James advised us, to count it ALL joy, through all the trials and tribulations. Definitely an easier task said than done, but we worked at it, and were reminded regularly that we needed to keep at it.

Our authors went through more trials of their own, and the publishing companies began to grow - and experience some difficult growing pains of their own.

So when December 1 rolled around this year, I began dreading the 2014 word. I even told a dear friend that I was AFRAID to pray for a new word because life seemed easier without one. (Yes, I'm a chicken.)

Yet God didn't let me off that easily. During the middle of the night - the same night I'd just told my friend I didn't want to pray for a word - God gave me the word. Not trusting myself - wondering if I'd forced the issue - I spent most of the next day praying, asking God to either delete that word or to confirm it as our word for 2014.

Confirm it He did. In the following 48 hours, that word came at me from every direction, from almost every possible source imaginable. So much of it in fact, I quit doubting, and began exploring. This word is used hundreds of times in the Bible. Biblegateway tells us it is used 309 times in the KJV, 346 times in the RSV, 263 times in the NIV, 275 times in the HCSB, and 277 times in the ESV.

But He quickly gave me the Scripture we're to focus on this year, and then confirmed it through a very unlikely source. Only God. Interestingly, the verse is almost identical in every single translation. That's rare.

As much as I dreaded the word, and as much as I know how positive and hopeful and joyous the other words were, and I'm still reeling, healing, and recovering from the years of those words, I'm once again excited about what the new year holds in store for all of us. I see the 2014 word almost as a challenge - something to DO, a proactive word, rather than an emotion or feeling. During this year, we'll seek manuscripts with this word/concept as the focus.

Last week, another friend shared a banner from Logos Bible Software on her FB page - and it had OUR verse on it. So I'm going to post it here to reveal our 2014 word. Thank you, Logos.

As dark as this world seems to be getting, in HIM there is NO DARKNESS at all. None. It is time to let our lights shine before men, shine into the darkness of this world as we abide in HIM. 

To God be the Glory!

2013 Contests Announced

UPDATE: I'm bumping this post to the top of the blog again since deadlines are approaching. 

Each December, I begin praying for God to reveal a special word that we're to focus on in the coming year. Last year's word was HOPE, and this theme will stay with us permanently - the world is desperate for the HOPE of Jesus and our books will continue to share that Hope.

But now, we're going to add another word for this year that will serve as the theme of our three annual contests.

JOY is our word for 2013. 

God even gave me a precise verse for that word:

"These things we write, so that our JOY may be made complete."

1 John 1:4

(NASB)

Books of Joy Contest

We are seeking books in series of three, and winners could receive a three-book publication contract! The series of books can be fiction or nonfiction, but must carry a message of JOY in some form or fashion. Be creative. Give us characters we can love in the novels, and issues we can care about in the nonfiction.

One First Prize FICTION Winner will receive a $500 Cash Prize and our standard publication contract for the three-book series. (Books may be contracted under Write Integrity Press OR Pix-N-Pens Publishing, depending on content.)

Two runners-up in fiction will receive our standard publication contract for at least one book, and perhaps all three.

One First Prize NONFICTION Winner will receive a $500 Cash Prize and our standard publication contract for the three-book series.

Two runners-up in nonfiction will receive our standard publication contract for at least one book, and perhaps all three.

There will be two rounds of judging:

1) Entries must include ALL of the following for Round One Judging by June 15, 2013. (These are the specifics for this contest - see the Nitty-Gritty details at the bottom of the post for general guidelines.)

• Submit a one-page, single-spaced synopsis of the entire three-book series.
• Submit a 100-word blurb for each book of the series.
• Submit the first chapter of Book 1 (length should be 2500-5000 words.)
• Entry fee paid through the Paypal link below. (Early Bird Discounts apply through the end of February.) Be sure to write down the PayPal Transaction ID# because the Paypal Transaction ID# must be placed on the Cover Page of your entry, along with your Name, Address, Phone, E-mail, Website, and Series Title.

2) Finalists will be selected from these entries and notified by July 31st.

In Round Two:

• Finalists will be required to submit a completed manuscript of Book 1 by November 30th. Full manuscripts should not be submitted prior to your being notified as a finalist.
• Instructions for submitting final manuscript will be sent with finalist notification.

Final manuscripts should have a word count of 40,000-90,000. (Higher ranges for fiction, lower ranges for nonfiction.)

Final Winners of the Books of Joy Contest will be notified in January 2014.

One Joy Contest


Now for the details of the "One Joy" contest. Books for this contest may be fiction or nonfiction, any genre, but they must offer hope to the reader in some way.


One FICTION winner will receive $250 and our standard publishing contract.

One NONFICTION winner will receive $250 and our standard publishing contract.

(Books may be contracted under Write Integrity Press OR Pix-N-Pens Publishing, depending on content.)

There will be two rounds of judging.

For Round One:

1) Entries must include ALL of the following and be submitted by deadline of July 20, 2013. (These are the specifics for this contest - see the Nitty-Gritty details at the bottom of the post for general guidelines.)

• Submit a one-page synopsis for the book.
• Submit a 100-word blurb for the book.
• Submit the first chapter of the book.
• Entry fees must be paid through Paypal, using the links or e-mail address method below. (Early bird discounts apply through the end of February.) Be sure to write down the PayPal Transaction ID# because the Paypal Transaction ID# must be placed on the Cover Page of your entry, along with your Name, Address, Phone, E-mail, Website, Contest Category, and Book Title.

2) Finalists will be selected from these entries and notified by August 31st. 

In Round Two:

• Finalists will be required to submit a completed manuscript by December 31st. Full manuscripts should not be submitted prior to your being notified as a finalist.
• Instructions for submitting final manuscript will be sent with finalist notification.

Final manuscripts should have a word count of 40,000-90,000. (Higher ranges for fiction, lower ranges for nonfiction.)

Final Winners of the One Joy Contest will be notified in February 2014.

Christmas Joy Contest


For our "Christmas JOY" contest, we're looking for Christmas-themed books - fiction or nonfiction.

This contest only has ONE round of judging.

One FICTION winner will receive $250 and our standard publishing contract.

One NONFICTION winner will receive $250 and our standard publishing contract.

(Books may be contracted under Write Integrity Press OR Pix-N-Pens Publishing, depending on content.)

To enter the Christmas Joy contest:

• Submit cover page with Name, Address, Phone, E-mail, Website, Book Title and Paypal Transaction  ID#.
• 100-word description of the book (back cover blurb)
• Full Manuscript, 40,000-90,000 words, any genre, fiction or nonfiction. (Higher ranges for fiction, lower ranges for nonfiction.)

Deadline for the Christmas Joy manuscript contest is July 31st, 2013.


The Nitty-Gritty Details

Now for the Nitty-Gritty details (and these have been deal-breakers in the past, so please follow the guidelines - they're here for a reason):

• Use Times New Roman font, size 12.
• Use double-line spacing, except for the synopsis and blurbs.
• Pages should have 1" margins all around.
• Use black ink.
• Include a header on each page (except the cover page) that includes your last name and page number in top right corner. [If you don’t know how to add/adjust/edit headers on your manuscript, Google it.]
• In the subject line of the e-mail entry, please indicate - BOOKS OF JOY: Fiction or BOOKS OF JOY: Nonfiction; or ONE JOY: Fiction or ONE JOY: Nonfiction; or CHRISTMAS JOY: Fiction or CHRISTMAS JOY: Nonfiction, so the manuscripts are routed properly.
• Entries should be submitted in a Word document, attached to the e-mail (editor [at] writeintegrity [dot] com).
• The e-mail itself should serve as an introduction - tell us who you are and a little about you. Nothing formal, fancy, or lengthy - just let us get to know you a little. Include links to your website and/or Facebook page, if applicable.
• This contest is open to published and unpublished authors. 
• For the Books of Joy contest, the second and third books do not have to be completed at the time a contract is issued. 
• Previously published books, any format, are not considered.

Your attached entry should include:

• Cover page with Name, Address, Phone, E-mail, Website, Agent Representation (if applicable), and Paypal Transaction  ID#.
• One page, single-spaced synopsis of the entire three-book series. Give us the      ending, don't leave us guessing.
• One 100-word description of each of the three books (300 words total - separated under each book title.)
• The first chapter of Book 1 (2500-5000 words in length.)

Be sure to check our FAQ page for other questions, but if you can't find the answer, drop me an e-mail.

Writers may enter manuscripts for both the Fiction and Nonfiction categories, and any or all contests, but they must pay an entry fee for each.

You may pay the entry fee in advance, as long as you remember to put your Transaction ID# on the entry manuscript when it is submitted.

Entry Fees                                 March 1-June 30, 2013

Books of Joy                                             $25
One Joy                                                     $20
Christmas Joy                                           $20

Choose Contest Entry Fee

Books of Joy $25.00 USD One Joy $20.00 USD Christmas Joy $20.00 USD

If you have trouble submitting an entry fee with this button, please submit through Paypal, using editor [at] writeintegrity [dot] com as the recipient, and be sure to put which contest it is for, along with your proposed manuscript title in the notes section.

We will try to verify the arrival of every entry within 72 hours of its receipt, but if you submit entries in the final 24 hours of deadline, please allow a bit more time before inquiring.

[UPDATE FEBRUARY 27, 2013 12:00 NOON EST]: In an effort to maintain our high publishing standards, after the finalists' entries have been received and reviewed, if the publisher determines none of the entries meet those standards, the publisher reserves the right not to declare a winner. The publisher may choose to work with an author on a particular project to achieve publication, but the manuscript would not be classified as contest winner.