Verification, please! by DL Larson

Last week I received wonderful news. The finals for the published Laurie Contest were announced. The Smoky Mountain RWA chapter released the titles of the winners. Promises To Keep, my historical came in second! I was up doing the happy dance! To date, Promises To Keep has finaled in all three contests I entered it in. I'm ecstatic folks are reading and liking my book!

When the September issue of RWR (Romance Writers Report) arrived in my mailbox the other day, I set it aside, being busy with other things. Then I remembered! Winners! Winners are usually announced in this magazine! I saw Jennifer Greene's novel on the front cover, one of the 2008 Rita Winners! Congrats, Jennifer! What a tribute, what a moment for a writer. Like Mother, Like Daughter, "Born in My Heart" is the Best Romance Novella in 2008!!!!!

My win would be in the back, but still in the same magazine. Or so I thought!

I searched through the CONTEST WINNERS on page 51. The Smokey Mountain Romance Writers congratulated the winners of their contest. I smiled. Yes! It had been a long wait. But it was over. My name would pop out any second and I would read and re-read the officialness of it. My eyes scanned the page a second time, then a third. My name was not there. Historicals were listed, but someone else took second place. Then I glanced at the titles of the first place winners, as well as the third and fourth place winners. They were not the names or titles I was competing with. I was happy for their successes, but I had hoped to see my name on that page.

Don't you hate it when self-doubt sneaks in and robs the joy right out of you? With a big sigh, I clicked over to the Smoky Mt.RWA site. http://www.smrw.org/publaurie.htm And there the familiar names were, under the published Laurie Contest: First place ~ Carolyn Carey for Compromising Situations; second place ~ DL Larson for Promises To Keep; and third place ~ Kimberly Iverson for Liberty. Congratulations ladies!! I know you've been waiting as anxiously as I have for the contest winners to be announced. Perhaps our winning will be published in the next issue!

So my name did not make it into one of the most important issues of RWR. That's okay. The important thing is I entered a contest. And so I'm encouraging you to enter a contest too. Check out the Contests and Conferences in the September issue of RWR, page 48-50. You'll find a variety of contests to enter, the egibility as diversified as the home chapters sponsoring them. Get your work out there. You will learn so much about your own novel, and discover inside tidbits that may help when it's time for publication.

Babe Ruth once said, "Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."

I like his attitude!

Til next time ~

DL Larson
http://www.dllarson.com
http://www.smrw.org/publaurie.htm - Smoky Mt. RWA pubbed Laurie Winners
http://www.acrarwa.com - Ancient City RWA, Anne Bonney Contest Winners