This fall, two Penn State alumni will try their best to impress three judges in hopes that America will vote them through to the next round and ultimately vote one of them "American Title III."

Jenny Gardiner, class of 1984, and Judi Fennell, class of 1987, are two finalists in the 3rd American Title Contest, a competition for unpublished writers to submit manuscripts and earn the chance at a publishing contract.

American Title is co-sponsored by Dorchester Publishing in addition to Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

The competition winner, who will be announced at the American Booklovers Convention that will take place in Houston, will receive a contract with Dorchester Publishing.

Gardiner's manuscript, Sleeping with Ward Cleaver, is a finalist for the American Title contest.

"I've always kinda been a writer," Gardiner said, adding she wanted to write about something women could relate to. "Women lose connections with certain things, and then they hit a point in their life when they remember who their spouses are. Middle-aged women realize they can do other things, and I wanted to be able to portray that."

Fennell said her manuscript, Beauty and the Best, is about a novelist who is constantly searching for happiness but doubts it really exists.

"I write paranormal chick lit -- fairy tales with a twist," Fennell said. "Beauty and the Best is about an aspiring novelist who is searching for happily ever after but fears there's no such thing. When she meets a man there just might be that possibility -- if she can hide the fact that she's using this publicity-shy artist's life story as the inspiration for her book."

Leah Hultenschmidt, an editor for Dorchester Publishing, said only those who have not been published are allowed to enter.

Ten finalists are chosen and then profiled in the Romantic Times magazine. Readers will then vote for whichever manuscript they liked the best.

Then every month the two writers who receive the least number of votes will be eliminated from the competition.

"Just like American Idol, there are judges," she said.

Liz French, managing editor at Romantic Times, said that each year the American Title has had a different genre.

"This year, the theme is any contemporary genre," French said. "There were about 250 entries this year. The contestants send in submissions for each category each month."

Only one person per book can vote for each category, French said.

"The competition is pretty well known, and it's a way to pick up readers before you are even published," Gardiner said. "One of the nice things about this contest is you still have a chance to get an agent even if you don't win. So far I've written six manuscripts. Now I just need a publisher."

Gardiner said she knows the kind of support Penn State students can generate.

"Last year one of the finalists had her dad have an entire Navy fleet vote for her manuscript," she said. "This year, her friend is in the competition. Judi and I figured if she has a fleet to back her up, Penn State can certainly equal a Navy fleet, and we agreed to split the votes 50/50."