Saturday, June 14, 2014

The Last Daughter - A GREATER DETROIT RWA 2014 BBA FINALIST!

The Greater Detroit RWA 2014 Booksellers Best Award announced the finalist for their annual contest, and guess what! The Last Daughter is one of them! If you remember, in my previous post, I wondered if I would ever write again so this is just the shot of encouragement I need to MAKE time. Sometimes it seems like too much of a challenge between the wedding planning, retired hubby, church work, renovation and decorating. Surely I don't have a touch of laziness! Surely not!

I'm not really familiar with this contest. Every month or so, we RWA members get our trade magazine that lists contests and conferences and I decided to enter The Last Daughter in the novella category. I chose this contest because of the judges. They're booksellers. That makes being a finalist even more special to me. I had to print out several copies of The Last Daughter and have them bound for the judges. It was time consuming and at times I wondered if I was wasting a tree, but now ... I'm so glad I took the time. I'm flattered and honored, excited and  super-pumped, even though I've got some wonderful competition in the other five contestants.
 
Winners will be announced at the RWA National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
  
In no particular order, the following is a list of finalists. Those listed with an asterisk are also nominated for Best First Book.  When I see contest winners, I'm always curious about the publishers and editors so if you'd like to know who they are, go to the Greater Detroit RWA 2014 Booksellers Best Award link.
 
Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!
TRADITIONAL
Last Chance Proposal Barbara DeLeo
The Courage to Say Yes Barbara Wallace
The Cattleman's Ready-Made Family Michelle Douglas
First Comes Baby Michelle Douglas
A Marriage Made in Italy Rebecca Winteres
Crashing into Tess Lilly Christine

SHORT HISTORICAL
The Witch Finder Blythe Gifford
Before the Larkspur Blooms  Caroline Fyffe
Lachlan's Bride Kathleen Harrington
Surrender to the Earl Gayle Callen
At the Highlander's Mercy Terri Brisbin

SINGLE TITLE
Mystic Cowboy Sarah M. Anderson
The Time Between Karen White
Home to Whisky Creek Brenda Novak
Lost Melody Dolores W. Maroney
The Pieces We Keep Kristina McMorris

SHORT CONTEMPORARY
The Rancher She Loved Ann Roth
*Doctor, Soldier, Daddy  Caro Carson
Conceal, Protect Carol Ericson
To Tame a Cowboy Jules Bennett
His Southern Temptation Robin Covington

LONG CONTEMPORARY
Kidnapped Cowboy  Lindsey Brookes
Out of his League Cathryn Parry
A Kiss to Die for Gail Barrett
The Cowboy's Christmas Baby Carolyn Brown
Seduced by his Target Gail Barrett

PARANORMAL
Midnight's Kiss  Donna Grant
Omega Susannah Sandlin
Allegiance Sworn  Kylie Griffin
Fire of the Dragon Lori Dillon
Tempt Me Tamara Hogan
The Reunited Shiloh Walker

INSPIRATIONAL
Vanished by  Irene Hannon
Cozy Christmas by Valerie Hansen
Shenandoah Nights by  Lisa Belcastro
Wedding On the Rocks by Rose Ross Zediker
Healing the Forest Ranger by Leigh Bale

LONG HISTORICAL
*For the Love of A Soldier  Victoria Morgan
The Hunter  Monica McCarty
Lady Vivian Defies a Duke  Samantha Grace
Love's Price Cheryl Holt
What a Duke Desires Sabrina Jeffries

YOUNG ADULT
Camp Boyfriend J.K. Rock
*Running On Empty  Colette Ballard
Briar Rose Jana Oliver
Dirty Little Secret Jennifer Echols
*Playing Tyler  TL Costa

EROTIC
On her Masters Service Lexi Blake
Unforgettable Alison Kent
Avoiding Mr. Right  C.J. Ellison
* Masque   Lexi Post
Too Fast  Alexia Haynes

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Trapped  Irene Hannon
Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead Lena Diaz
Til' Death Sharon Sala
Hard Target Kay Thomas
Pieces of You- A Snowy Creek Novel Loreth Anne White

NOVELLA
Christmas At Copper Mountain Jane Porter
Outside the Lines Kimberly Kincaid
The Last Daughter Jessica Ferguson
One True Love  Lori Wilde
Take Me, Cowboy Jane Porter
A Cowboy for Christmas Katheirne Garbera

 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Insecure Writers Support Group

It's IWSG Day! IWSG stands for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You can follow other IWSG members here  and on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG.
Our purpose is to share and encourage.

These days I wonder if I'll ever write again. Retirement, renovation, weddings... set backs! Renovation is complete but now we have to put the house back in order. A challenge. Not as fun as it should be.

And while I'm contemplating where the new sofa will go, or what color rug to purchase to complement the new wood floors, time marches on, technology changes, marketing and social media become more and more important and complicated ... and I'm behind on keeping up with it all.

I know it's true that if we quit writing, we forget how to write. I've been there/done that before. The old saying if you don't use it you lose it is true. This is what writer's block is made of: fear. Fear that life is rushing by and I'm not accomplishing anything. I just pile ideas in my cell phone and hope someday my life gets back to normal.

Then I ask myself: what's normal? Haven't I been hearing a lot about the "new normal." Surely this isn't MY new normal! If so, I don't like it! I don't want it!

I'm keeping the quote by S.K. Gipson at the forefront of my mind: "Success may be measured in determination, but only those who persevere ever see success."

Persevere.

P. E. R. S. E. V. E. R. E.

Let's make a pact to persevere.