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This past weekend was difficult as I realized once again that I wasn't a finalist in the Genesis contest. The wound deepened when I received my judges' scoresheets and discovered 2 out of the 3 judges just didn't 'get' the story. I won't complain about the comments, but I will say I shook my head at a couple of them. On Sat afternoon I received word that someone else had won the Duel on the Delta contest. Ugh. Very disheartening. But I'm up here at St Peter's Abbey for the Saskatchewan Romance Writer's annual retreat and my fellow writers are wonderful support. Between them and the Inkies, they pulled me out of my doldrums and rewarded me with chocolate - both in physical and virtual realities. After supper I walked the beautiful grounds taking photos and trying to shed my disappointment. Imagine my surprise, then on Sunday afternoon when I was working on my Tues history post for the Inkwell when my iPhone rang. The theme song of The Good, The Bad, a...

Last Friday the phone rang while I was writing. It's still too cold to work out in my office so I'm in the living room for a few more weeks. Nelson sat behind me playing a video game, but since he has an aversion for talking on the phone I reached for it. My pulse increased when I spotted the area code because it wasn't a Cdn one. Nor was it an 800, 888 or that one will all zeros. When the caller said she was Ane Mulligan from the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), I knew it was good news about a contest. I'd spent March entering 5 different writing contests and writers volunteer as coordinators and judges for many different contests. Of the 5 contests I entered, the earliest I expected a response was around Apr 18th from Duel on the Delta. But Ane called on Apr 8th. I was so excited. And confused. She said I'd semi-finaled. I missed the 'semi' part because writing contests don't have 'semi-finalists'... you go from a contestant ...

The results of the American Christian Fiction Writer's annual Genesis contest were announced yesterday and I couldn't find my name anywhere on the list. And I looked at least three times. My rollercoaster feelings went from a depressing low for not being 'good enough' to an exhilarating high for my Inkwell Inspirations' sisters - Lisa Richardson and Susanne Dietz - who DID final. Woo hoo Lisa and Susie!!! This post was going to be about how to pick yourself up and continue writing after a devastating disappointment such as this but my morning email brought a pleasant surprise... I've been asked to guest blog at the International Christian Fiction Writers (ICFW) blog on May 31st and I think that will be the theme of my post over there. I'll leave you with this photo taken just a few days ago. As you can see, we awoke to a heavy frost and still no leaves on the trees. Oh my blossoms, where are you this spring? So, what about your yard? Any leaves or blossoms o...

First round judging of the ACFW's Genesis contest is over and the finalists have been announced. I'm not one of them. However, I want to send out major congratulations to those on the list. With over 450 entries, finaling in this contest is a huge accomplishment and I wish you all the best. I'm still waiting on one contest result, although hope is flagging something fierce. It's a cold, gloomy day outside. I'm not letting it drag me down, though. Chap 4 to Marry Me, Ma'am will be heading out to my CP's after one more proof read and I'm hoping to have a productive weekend of revisions. So, what are your plans for this weekend? Hitting a book? Or the beach? hehe

I'm trying to critique a chapter for one of my crit partners, but I'm having a hard time concentrating. Because I'm waiting. Seems every time I get a notice I've rec'd an email, I have to go check it out. Because I'm waiting. There's no guarantee I'll even get an answer today but it doesn't change anything. Because I'm waiting. What I'm waiting for: - the first round results of the Genesis contest are to be announced between May 1st-15th. (And it's the 12th today, eh) I have 2 entries in this contest. - the first round results of the Touched by Love contest are to be announced on May 16th. I have 2 entries in this contest as well. - the partial I subbed to TWRP has been passed from the Sweetheart line to Yellow Rose. She liked it, but will they? So, I'm waiting on 3 major career defining moments. Oh, the pressure... Are you waiting for something? Big or small? Is it self-induced or involuntary?

With one week left before the deadline of the big Genesis contest of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), I should have my entries out. I don't. But, for a good reason - one of the lovely ladies who support my writing as a Critique Partner (CP) challenged me to improve my ms, An Outlaw for the Lady . While critting it, she saw where I could put the heroine in a position to make the hero more redeemable in the eyes of the reader. Obviously, it hadn't occurred to me but now that it has, I'm wondering how to do it for the best advantage in the small amount of space available. The Genesis contest is only 15 pages long. An additional scene at the beginning would mean re-adjusting the last pages entered so it ends on a hook. Yes, we want the judges to read the 15th page and say, 'Wow! I want to read the rest of this.' Yet, I'm already on page 15 so now the question is this - once I've added my 'hero' scene, do I backup and find a new hook? Or do ...

I know I did some writing in Feb, but it was mixed in with all this fun stuff: I won 2 free books! It’s been a couple months since I won anything so this was a thrill: 1 – I won a copy of Perfect Target after leaving a comment on new Love Inspired Suspense author Stephanie Newton’s blog at http://stephanienewton.blogspot.com/ . Since I already had the book in question (and my teen daughter is raving about it), Steph graciously decided to send me a free copy of her next release, Moving Target due out this summer. 2 – I rec’d an email from Becky Germany over at Barbour Books saying I’d won a copy of Desert Roses with the new cover designed Heartsong Presents repack collections. Apparently, I’d missed the announcement about me winning in all the Dec/Christmas stuff which included my 30th anniversary. I really appreciate Becky hanging onto the book for me and finally tracking me down to claim it. Look for the gorgeous new design here: http://editcafe.blogspot.com/2008/12/act-fast-and-wi...