This goes out to anyone who would like to be a published romance author:

Last year I entered Son of Thunder in the WisRWA Fab 5 contest. I didn’t win, I didn’t even show, but based on the input I got from the contest judges I ended up doing a complete rewrite. It made my story stronger and fixed some glaring problems. I don’t know if I would have sold it without the feedback I got from this wonderful contest. It was well worth the entry fee. Well, this year’s contest is in full swing, and if you have a work in progress you’d like to get in front of some very talented judges, think about entering.

Here’s all the info:

The Wisconsin Romance Writers of America’s Fabulous Five contest is still accepting entries!

This contest is available to writers unpublished in book-length romance fiction during the past five years. Self-published authors may also apply! Your entry must be limited to the first 2,500 words of your manuscript and must be submitted electronically. For an entry form and complete details regarding rules and eligibility, click the Contests link on our website: http://www.wisrwa.org/

Grab this opportunity for a critique of your work and the chance one of our final round judges may ask to see more of it. In last year’s contest, agents and editors requested eight full manuscripts and eight partials!

Inspirational writers: We’ve established a new category just for you!

Our fees continue to be among the lowest for contests of this type – just $18 for WisRWA members and $20 for all other entrants.

Deadline for entries is 11:59 CST, March 1, 2013. Categories are limited to thirty-five submissions each, so enter early to beat the rush!

Here’s our lineup of categories and final round judges for 2013:

Historical : Amanda Bergeron, Harper Collins

Inspirational: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Literary Agency

Paranormal/Fantasy/

Futuristic/Time Travel: Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing

Romantic Suspense: Katherine Pelz, Berkley

Series Contemporary

(Long/short): Dana Hopkins, Harlequin Enterprises

Single Title: Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates

Women’s Fiction: Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary

Young Adult Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency