I'm taking the manuscript for SNAPSHOT into a major Australian publisher tomorrow - it's the first real "inside connection" I've made. I won't name names unless the best possible thing happens, but they're a major multi-national with a big reach. Hopefully they bite, but if not, my next stop will be Agents.

As for how I made this contact - well, I'll tell the whole story another time, but I have to say that whenever you see any writing contest associated with a serious, major publisher, you definitely want to go for it! Even if you don't win, you might get something out of it.