First Roadblock

I wish I could tell you that I was advancing to the Seminfinals and happily on my way to winning the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, but I am not. Disappointed? To say the least. Worst of all, I let you, my readers, down. You who took the time and trouble to read my pages and especially you who wrote such kind praise for my reviews.
Ultimately, I would like to think that I did not advance because of incompatibility between what I wrote and what the the contest was looking for. However, I must assume full responsibility and go back to my writing, and continue to work endlessly and tirelessly until my writing is such that it cannot be denied.
While I am grateful that my novel was a Quarterfinalist its first time out, my aim is true and simple: to write and publish the best first novel that I can. I owe it to myself, and I owe it to you.

Thank you for your overwhelming support. That is reward and motivation enough as I go forward in search of an agent to get the novel published.
Adelante!

The Road to Getting My First Novel Published

Five years ago, I quit teaching high school English at LAUSD, my father died and I wrote the first draft to my first novel Prodigal Son. At the beginning of this year, I finished my fifth draft and submitted it to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award within one hour of the deadline. Based on a 300-word pitch of the novel, 10,000 total entries were boiled down to 1,000 entries in general fiction and 1,000 entries in young adult fiction (Prodigal Son being one of them) at the end of February. As of the end of March, 500 total are now Quarterfinalists based on the first few chapters. Prodigal Son being one of them. 100 Semi-finalists will be announced at the end of this month.