This week is an “up.”

After feeling a bit dejected last week, I have to say this week is off to a better start. The Reluctant Amazon is a finalist in the Romancing the Tome contest. I’m really proud of this book, and it’s great to have it appreciated by judges. My judges were fairly consistent too, which isn’t as common as you would think. The only other contest with judges that close in their scores were the Golden Rose preliminary judges. What made me especially happy was to receive a perfect score. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it.

I am pleased to say I was able to finish The Reluctant Amazon in time to send it in for the Golden Heart. I hold no unrealistic hopes for it to final, but I am proud that I was able to finish a good story in so short a time. Plus, with the right judges, you never know what can happen.

I don’t plan to contest much anymore, although my Critters swear I’ve said that enough to make them sick. I have done much, much better than I ever thought I would do. In less than a year, I’ve had four manuscripts final in seven different contests. I’m more than pleased.

I hope 2008 is as kind to me.

I’m thankful for a lot of things.

It seems like everyone reflects on a holiday like Thanksgiving. Well, not necessarily everyone. Some people use the day to stuff themselves senseless, collapse on the couch while other people do the dishes, and numb their minds with football. But I’m a writer, so I reflect.

I’m thankful for my family. My husband is the most supportive person in the world. Don’t let that gruff exterior fool you. He’s got a soft heart, and he’s seen me through the “poorer” and the “sickness.” I hope one day we can love each other through the “richer” and the “health.” My children have been an inspiration. Watching them grow up and tackle challenge after challenge by stepping outside their comfort zone gave me the courage to write. My parents have always been my safety net on the tightrope of life. They have never let me down. My sister is my very best friend.

I’m thankful for my friends. My Critters have taken my writing to a whole new level, but they are also some of the funniest, smartest, most loving ladies you could ever want to meet. My on-line critique partner, Leanna, keeps me motivated by writing at the speed of light. My INRWA chapter sisters always stand beside me, celebrating my highs and cheering me through my lows.

I’m thankful for my fellow teachers and my students, past and present. I have no idea what my life would be without teaching being a part of it. The people I’ve worked with and taught through the years have made me the person I am today by challenging me, encouraging me, and showering me with affection.

So on this holiday, I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.

Writing is a series of ups and downs.

This week was a “down.” I received results from the Golden Rose and the Golden Gateway contests where I was a finalist. “Gold” is evidently not good for Murphy’s Law. As I’ve said in previous posts, there’s a “love it or hate it” feel for the beginning of that manuscript. Since I didn’t win either competition, I am very disappointed — especially after so many fantastic comments from judges in both contests. Ah, well. I sent it into Golden Heart as a sign of my assertiveness and my faith in myself as a writer. I have no expectations of being a finalist.

School is going well. I suppose as one part of my life falls, another rises in some sort of odd cosmic balance. A local news station is coming to cover a big lab that, with the help and expertise of our school’s AP biology teacher, Becky Kehler, I hold for my AP students. The woman is a dynamo. She was Indiana’s Biology Teacher of the Year last year. I admire her greatly, and I’m pleased we can work together on this project. We pull together all of my advanced psychology students and her advanced biology students for an “in-house” field trip. Then the students participate in three labs, including dissection of sheep brains. It was a big success last year, and with the changes we’ve made, it should be even better this year.

I sometimes wish I had the confidence in my writing that I do in my teaching. Hopefully, time will help me develop some, just as it has in my classroom abilities. I believe my stories are good, sometimes even great. It’s just so frustrating to final so many manuscripts in so many contests and not win one. Ah, well. I’ll keep working on improving and have faith in my Critters and my on-line partner. They tell me I’m good, and none of them have any problem with telling me when my stories aren’t cutting it. And I thank them from the bottom of my heart for that honesty.

Hopefully, next week will be an “up” week.

I came to a startling revelation yesterday.

I have fans.

The whole thing started with Julie Clayton. If you’ve read earlier posts, you’ll remember Julie as the first person to really encourage my writing. She’s read all of my manuscripts, and she constantly tells me I’ll be famous. God love her. Then Cindy Bell became a fan. She was my aide in my collaborative US History class, and I told her about my writing and offered her a chance to read one. She read them all, and she tears through a book in two days. If I don’t have a new one often, she seems disappointed.

They told other people I write books. Remember that old shampoo commericial with Heather Locklear where she said something like, “I told two friends, and they told two friends…”? Evidently that’s what’s happening at Greenwood High School.

What was startling to me was to now have people come to me to ask for the books. Three this week alone. I don’t think I can describe how flattering that is to a writer! And I have to say my ego loves that they stop by my room or catch me in the hall telling me what chapter they’re on and how much they like the storyline and characters. I do receive a promise from each of them that they’ll buy the books when they’re in print. Otherwise, there’ll be no one who hasn’t read them!

During parent/teacher conferences, several parents asked about my books before they asked how their kids were doing in my class. How did they find out I write? My eye doctor. The last time I went for glasses, we chatted. I needed a stronger prescription because I spend so much time staring at a monitor or a laptop. So I told him I wrote. And he told several of his other patients who mentioned to him they had kids at my school. One parent even asked me to mentor her daughter who has been writing fantasy for most of her adolescence. I was glad to do so.

So now I have groupies.

Who knew?

I get by with a little help from my friends.

My apologies to the Beatles for borrowing their song. I’ve just had those particular lyrics stuck in my head since this weekend when I attended the INRWA annual retreat. Fifteen romance writers. An abundance of wine. A large group critique. I laughed so hard, my face hurt.

The reason the Beatles were playing in a continual loop in my thoughts was because I realized how much I need these women, how much I depend on my chapter sisters. I was awaiting the overdue results from one of my contest finals, and they were so great at keeping me occupied and helping me realize wherever I placed really didn’t matter in the long run. They were so inspiring, I clipped off three new chapters for my current WIP and wrote a prologue and part of a chapter for the second book in the paranormal series.

My placing in the contest was lower than I had hoped — fifth out of five — and I was so disappointed. The email didn’t arrive until I was home Sunday afternoon. I posted something on our chapter loop thanking everyone for the great weekend and telling them my placement and that I was feeling down. Within a few hours, I had notes on the loop and emails in my inbox that were all supportive and encouraging. They have been flooding in today too. I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve such friendship and support, but I cherish it. They give me the courage to keep entering contests, and they give me the inspiration to keep writing.

Gonna try with a little help from my friends.