Lucky Charms

As I clicked the "accept charges" buttons the RWA web page, I knew I was taking a gamble. Again. I was spending a lot of money, money I hadn't earned, to go to New York City and attend the RWA National Conference 2011. But I had a good feeling about this conference and I'd earned the money to go via saving money by doing a lot of home improvements myself (and with the help of friends). Plus I'd been typing for quarters for a while and I'd payed myself for "trying to get published" letters. Every one of those letters garnered another $1, $5 or $10 in my savings for the trip.

My good feeling turned out to be better, initially, for other people going that I would room with while I was in NYC. My CP Sharon Wray finaled in the Daphne and the Golden Heart. Another friend finaled in the GH. More people finaled that I knew and I was thrilled for them.

I did NOT final in the GH. That kinda stung for a bit, but then I figured at least I KNOW great writing when I read it. Besides, I was beginning to feel like a good luck charm.

Apparently the cosmos thought so, too. And out of the blue, two very special people, published in different genres, asked if I would pick up their prizes for the Readers' Choice Awards in one case and in the Daphne in another if they should "by some miracle" win their category. Of course! Why not? I figured it would be fun as long as I didn't hit the champagne till AFTER they won.

So off to the conference I went via a long drive to DC to see old friends and give my darling teen time with her BFF in Centreville. Then I hopped on the Vamoose bus in Arlington, VA and rode up to NYC with my CP and future roomie, Sharon.

The first night we were in town, we chilled, and I met a lot of amazing published authors in my favorite category line, HQN Mills & Boon Presents/Modern Heat (Riva), and Medical. I had a serious fan girl moment when I met the delightfully charming Carole Mortimer. I think my tongue just went haywire and danced around the room, but in the end we had a lovely discussion about her heroine in one of her Duke series -- her favorite and I loved this heroine, too. So we just talked about our favorite subject: writing. I had the great fortune to meet Sandra Marton, Melanie Milbourne and more fabulous authors during that night and the rest of the week. MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.

Any rate, Wednesday morning arrived and I went to the Readers' Choice Awards. This was a swank deal put on by the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Champagne Mimosas, breakfast, coffee, and a 20 year celebration. Two of my Heart of Dixie Cohorts joined me from OKAY LISTEN HERE, Kathy Bone and Jean Hovey aka Alicia Pace. I sort of got confused when the final was announced for our friend Melanie Dickerson's books and thought she'd won, but apparently I handled my confusion well. OKRWA likes we southern ladies.

Anyway... MELANIE WON! Best New Book for 2011!!! THE HEALERS APPRENTICE won!! Woohoo. I got to go back up and say thank you for real. It was a great moment. I truly enjoyed it.

Later that night, Sharon and I got ready for the Kiss of Death Romance Chapter's Death by Chocolate party during which the winners of the Daphne would be announced. Wow. Sharon was nervous. I just hated wearing my Spanx, but hey, I looked fabulous in my new blue dress so all was well. We went down to the party, got platefuls of goodies and I got wine and we chatted at the finalist table with other finalists. They were all in different categories so we could cheer happily for each other!

So finally, my dear friend and CP, Sharon WON THE DAPHNE for best Romantic Suspense, Single Title, in 2011 for unpublished writers. That was the best news!! The best win for an RS writer. It capped our day and set the tone for the rest of the conference. Then it was time to wait for my friend, PAULA GRAVES' published category RS announcements.

And lo and behold SHE WON THE DAPHNE for Category Series RS for her book, CHICKASAW COUNTY CAPTIVE!! How cool is that? I was so stoked for her. Another win.

Two other dear Southern Magic Unpublished authors I love were also at the Daphnes. Heather Leonard placed second in the unpublished paranormal RS category and Louisa Cornell WON the unpublished Historical RS category.

Wow! This was beyond exciting. By Thursday the news had gotten out. Apparently, my Lucky Charm status had reached epic proportions. Another friend and fellow GIAMx4 buddy, rubbed shoulders with me and guess what? Yup. She WON THE GOLDEN HEART FOR CATEGORY SERIES. Woohoo. There are more stories, more cool wins, more amazing victories.

I had a great time at the conference. Wonderful and amazing people opened up to me. I learned a lot. I laughed a lot. And I really enjoyed my status as a Lucky Charm.

Stay tuned! More Lucky Charm stories on Friday!!

Versatile Bloggers

I’ve been given a Versatile Blogger Award by a great writing friend. I’d like to thank author Susan May for thinking of me.  


Award Rules:
1. Thank the person who bestowed the honor on you. Check. 


2.Share seven random facts about yourself. Okay here I go.
   
   1. I was West Vancouver's Sunshine Girl of the Month.
   2. I can eat a cherry off the pit without removing the stem.
   3. I want to be a Food Network cooking star.
   4. I was weighed in the Netherlands on the only "accurate" Witch Scale and was deemed not a witch.
   5. I camped alongside the Dordogne River in France with my family.


3. Pass Award on to 5 bloggers. I am passing this award to the following bloggers:


   1. Romance Magicians team of bloggers because they are witty, insightful, and helpful.
   2. Okay Listen Here's team of fabulous bloggers-Kathy, Cheryl, Jean, and Stephanie for their interesting insights into living in the South.
   3. Carla Swafford because she is a brand new published author and has worked so hard for this wonderful event to happen. 
   4. Sharon Wray because she is an insightful blogger who writes elegantly and is a wonderful friend.
   5. Ellen Brickley because she is my first Irish blogger friend and her blog makes me want to hop on a plane and go to Dublin.


Hope you all enjoy visiting these blogs and reading what they have to say. Just click on their names and pop over to say hello :-)

Celebrating All My Courageous Writing Friends

Tomorrow is a big day for many romance writers. Many of us have entered the Romance Writers of America's contests for published and unpublished authors. The RITA and the GOLDEN HEART contests are our industry's version of the OSCARS for writers.

Today, as an unpublished writer, I'm getting all twitchy because I have two entries in the GOLDEN HEART. I have other unpublished friends who have entered as well. Tomorrow we will most likely be nervous and anxious as we wait for all the finalists to be announced. We'll pretend we don't care, but we do. It's a huge honor! A huge feather in one's writing cap. It opens doors. It doesn't guarantee publication, but it does mean that you've become part of a select sisterhood of writers. So it is a big deal. A very big deal. It's like getting a college degree: once you have it, no one can take that honor away. For unpublished writers it is also a huge affirmation that they aren't whistling dixie against the wind and completely delusional.

This is the creme de la creme. A finalist gets all kinds of writing princess perks. Who wouldn't want to be a Princess for four days at the RWA National Conference?

A lot of my wonderful published friends entered the RITA. This contest is important to them, too. I know it generates more interest. Gets agents interests, booksellers interested, but I'm not published so I have no idea how much extra oomph a RITA Award can give a published writer. I do know this: it's beautiful, bright and shiny. I touched one at a writer's meeting. The winner brought her RITA Statuette into the meeting and shared her victory with us. It was sweet. It was a moment. She was a Princess for four days during the RWA National Conference. Then she shared her sweet Princess moment with us.

The award mattered. A lot.

But for all the people who final, or win, these awards, there are many who don't. Tomorrow will be a day of highs and lows. Therefore I thought that today I'd focus on why we became writers--why we strive to create stories. Because we have to have more than shiny awards and statues to keep us going as writers. We have to have an inner drive that supersedes material recognition. Otherwise we won't keep writing--writing for no pay, no recognition, no awards.

So today, before the announcements are made, I want to say that YOU ARE ALL WINNERS! You entered, you wrote books, you took a chance, you put your heart out there, you risked losing. And in risking the disappointment you grew as writers.

I have a few quotes I want to share with you. Quotes that keep me going as a writer. Quotes that remind me about why I write:

I hope that your measure of success will be not the gratification of getting an agent or seeing your name on the cover, but putting together a novel of real depth--of having something to say and saying it in a story with lasting power. Donald Maass

The object of goals is getting there... the object of dreams is the journey. Delle Jacobs

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both. James A. Michener

Tomorrow will be a big day. I have three bottles of champagne chilling in the fridge. I plan to open one of them and to celebrate everyone's successes. I am also going to have a THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE party.

So join me tomorrow for a special blog that celebrates ALL of the writers who have entered the prestigious RITA/GOLDEN HEART contests. Let's be happy for the finalists. Let's celebrate their victories. But let's also remember to celebrate the gift of having the courage to enter the contests because we all love writing compelling stories that move people.

And that is what we're all about: writers on a journey who encourage and celebrate each other!!

See you tomorrow!

I'd Trade it All for Her

My daughter is the best part of my life. She's smart, talented, funny, loving, and just a delight. And her talents haven't been rewarded... again... I don't know why, I just know it is what it is and God has a reason but her pain is palpable.

I ache for her.

But I know she is meant for cool, wonderful things....

But I wish I could make it better....

I would give her my MAGGIE finaling to see her get what she wanted. I would take a bullet for her. I would do anything for her. But at the end of the day, the greatest gift I can give her is the gift of continually making lemonade out of those gosh darned lemons life seems to give us.

Lemons aren't sooooo bad. They teach us to eat the bitter pill of disappointment. They teach us to squeeze the life out of what we are allowed to eat. They teach us that rind can be used to create ZEST for LIFE.

Zest... I believe in my heart that life's disappointments might actually be the zest... the flavoring that ultimately ups the ante of our journeys.

And I believe BALM -- comfort -- prayer -- new directions are all part of the journey.

And if I ever win a big award, the first person I will thank after God is her. For she has given me the courage to try and fail and try and win the next time around.

Blessings aren't always easily visible. But if we look for them, we discover them.

Today I honor my daughter. A true blessing .... I am curious to see how she unfolds her life.