I love getting boxes from Amazon.com.

Today was a little different. I saw the little brown box resting next to my front door, and I knew what it held. Kathleen Woodiwiss’s last book, Everlasting, was released this week. I had preordered it from the place I get most of my purchases — Amazon.com. That little box held the last new story I will ever read by a woman I greatly admire.

With a taste of bittersweet, I opened the box. There it was. Exactly what I’d expected. It looked so… small. I’m used to Ms. Woodiwiss’s books being epics, and the fan in me is sad this last book won’t take me a lifetime to read. Heck, as fast as I plow through books, I’ll finish it before this weekend. Then I won’t have another one to look forward to.

I have other authors I love to read. Garwood. Howell. Aitken. Deveraux. And a myriad of others. A quick mention of Karyn Monk because I have recently discovered she tastes of the same type of epic Woodiwiss wrote, and I have found her stories stay with me because I’m reluctant to let her characters go. So I have others to read, and there will be more stories to treasure, more keepers to shelve and then pull down in a few months to enjoy again.

But that little box left me melancholy.

Kathleen Woodiwiss would never win a contest.

You’ll have to forgive the unkind comment. Please bear in mind that I am not in any way cutting down Kathleen Woodiwiss. I admire her work greatly, and if told I had to be stranded on a island with only one book to take with me, it would be The Rose in Winter. Or The Wolf and the Dove. Or perhaps Shanna. Well, you get my point. What I am trying to say is that the reason Woodiwiss is beloved by so many is that she refused to write a cookie-cutter romance. She loaded her books with backstory. She told instead of showed. And she had heroes who were human and fallible and needed to grow. All of these are things that are constantly criticized by contest judges in my work.

My introspection comes from mailing what I consider my swan song of contesting. I know I have morphed into somewhat of a contest diva, though I doubt I’ve entered as many chapter contests as some think. But I am ready to end that part of my “career.” With a kiss and a prayer, I sent Murphy’s Law to RWA for Golden Heart competition.

My story won’t final. I’m sure of that. Sending it in anyway is my statement of inner strength. It’s my way of thumbing my nose at the notion that all stories are created equal. Murphy’s Law is unique. It doesn’t contest well, and I often receive comments that range from “your hero is unlikeable” to “your heroine is too independent and needs to soften up.” Odd thoughts, in my opinion.

Seth — my hero — is on a journey of redemption. Perhaps the contest judges might realize that by actually reading the quote that begins the manuscript. (…the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person. Tennessee Williams) I would think that offers some insight that this is a story of change and growth. Yet, the judges don’t like Seth and rate the manuscript poor in the “hero” category.

Katie — my heroine — is independent. She’s feisty, stubborn, and not looking for love. And that makes her a bad heroine? Puhleeze… Why does a romance heroine have to be a sniveling, clinging vine to receive high scores from judges?

I sent Murphy’s Law in to state my own independence. To show that I think the world of romance is so much more than the stereotype. To show that it has room for characters who have the capacity to change and for heroines who are their own women. To show that a good story with fresh writing is always welcome in the world of publishing.

And if it finals, I’ll be truly amazed.

It isn’t always easy to find inspriation.

My muse has an odd sense of humor and an ironic sense of timing. I’m SO close to finishing the Amazon book. But there was a crucial decision I needed to make. The heroine, Rebecca, was standing at a crossroads — a decision that would change her life forever. And there she stood. For a week or more.

Then my muse finally took pity on me. She told me to send Rebecca down the right path. Unfortunately, she whispered the decision in my ear at 4:55 AM Saturday morning. While I am eternally grateful for her assistance, Saturday is the day I need to catch up on my rest. But just like men will always trade sleep for sex, I traded sleep for inspiration. The story is now writing itself, and it will be ready for Golden Heart competition.

I also received a heaping dose of inspiration from my beloved Critters. We met yesterday to participate in one of our normal “slash and burn” sessions. Just being with these ladies sends waves of motivation roaring through me. We laugh. We talk. We critique. We eat chocolate. Oh, how I love these women! And I always come away from our meetings with inspiration and motivation to spare. I’ve written a whole chapter since I got home last night. And that’s in addition to editing the three chapters they critiqued. Thank you, thank you, Critters!

So, for me it doesn’t matter. Day. Night. Weekday. Weekend. I’ll take inspiration anywhere and anytime it comes.

Life should have mulligans.

Wouldn’t you love to be able to say, “Oops! I didn’t mean to do that. Can I please have a do over?” Alas, life isn’t quite that accommodating. We have to live with the consequences of our words and actions.

It’s not that there is anything in particular I would like to do again. Okay, maybe there is. I want to rewind when I started submitting my writing for publication. I know the work still needed to “grow.” I have been finishing the rewrites of Murphy’s Law, and I would love having a mulligan to get the new manuscript into the hands of any editors who might have the old one.

The story that finished second in Heart of the Rockies hardly exists anymore. It is much, much better. But I refuse to live with regrets over opportunities gone by. So — onward and upward. I plan to never be satisfied with what I have achieved, and I always plan to improve.

Life doesn’t give us mulligans. But it does offer us more chances.

Juggling isn’t easy.

Type A’s love to have loads to do, but sometimes I need to take a breath and remind myself there are only so many hours in a day. At the moment, I am finishing a final polish of Murphy’s Law. I’m desperately trying to finish The Reluctant Amazon in time for the Golden Heart Contest. I’m teaching six classes, three of which are college level psychology. I’m helping my on-line critique partner revisit one of her fantastic stories. I’m working with my beloved Critters. I’m running for secretary of Indiana RWA. I’m plotting the next book in the Amazon series and worrying about finishing the faith healer book I started earlier this year. And packed all around this are the typical housecleaning, laundry, grass mowing, dog walking, etc…

It’s a good think Type A’s thrive on stress.

My sister and I hauled an assortment of our munchkins to Chicago yesterday to see Wicked. We had a marvelous time. The performance was outstanding. I had never seen the show, and had only heard a barebones discussion of the story. It was enchanting. I only hope some of my work comes across as witty and charming as this show. I left Wicked with a renewed desire to create stories that are as uplifting and entertaining. If only.

So I’m off to add a few more balls to my juggling act. Watch me!

I started the day with a smile.

Before I headed to school this morning, I checked my email. Low and behold, there was a message that Murphy’s Law is a finalist in the Golden Rose contest sponsored by the Rose City Romance Writers.

I guess you can call me a contest diva now, and I can’t refute the statement. Six finals with four manuscripts in under a year. I cannot help but be pleased.

Quite a way to start a day!