Thank you, thank you, thank you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your overwhelming support! I've received numerous emails, phone calls, blog posts, book reviews and comments about my book excerpt. It is humbling and very fulfilling to have something I created be so enjoyed!

This whole experience seems so surreal and I have to keep wondering if it's actually happening. To me, no less. My dear friend emailed me and asked how I'm handling all the fame. I had to laugh at that. Fame? I don't know. Maybe someday though.

I have been very encouraged to take my book to a publisher as soon as it becomes "mine" again. At the moment it's property of Penguin Books until they tell me they don't want it. But I hope someday soon you'll be able to read the rest of the book. (And hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first 1 1/2 chapters)

I also want to say thank you so much to everyone who has left a review. Those are so very helpful, and they make The Gifted look good in front of the judges!:) That point aside, they really do mean a lot to me. I treasure every single one, along with all the wonderful comments and emails and phone calls.

Anyway, I may sound a little loopy because I'm heavily medicated right now, but I'm coherent enough to say thank you to all of you so much for caring about me and answering my call for help. You're so great! What good is an experience like this if you can't share it with everyone you know?

Thank you. Pin It

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (updated)

I did it. Yay!! (Insert happy dance here) I made it to the quarterfinalists! I screamed and jumped and choked on my own spit. And then I did it again. I'm so excited that in the shower this morning I was so distracted that I almost washed my face with shampoo and shampooed my hair with conditioner. And then my hands were shaking so bad I almost couldn't get my contacts in.

I did it!! I have editorial reviews and everything! Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I entered a manuscript to a contest on amazon.com. There were 10,000 submissions. From those ten thousand they have narrowed it down to 500 quarterfinalists. That's me. An excerpt of my book has been read and reviewed. And now it is posted on www.amazon.com/abna under "Fantasy." But before you go charging off to find it, let me give you a direct link. :) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3A1E My book is entitled The Gifted. In case you're wondering.

Can you believe that? I have my own Amazon page!!!

From my limited understanding of how the rest of this game is played, amazon readers are now able to download and review the excerpts. I thought you'd be able to vote on them, but I guess that's not until later. However, Publisher's Weekly is reviewing the excerpts and will pick a top 100. I guess reader reviews help the "judges" decide which books to move forward, so I could still use your help. Even if you don't know me and still read my blog, I could use your help.

(Update: Apparently you CAN vote on it. You can give me five stars. Sorry, that's the only option. :D)

Download the excerpt and read it, if only because I know you'll enjoy it. I did. I mean, I do. (You will have to go through the process like you are going to buy it, but it's free.) Anyway, then write me a review with the understanding that the judges will be reading that review. My book is not perfect, I know that. But I still think it's pretty darn good. Spread the word too. The more the merrier. Right?

If I don't make it to the semi-finalists, I'll be fine. I'll be disappointed, but I'll be ok because I have a polished manuscript and editorial reviews to send to publishers.

This has been a huge honor so far. I'm wondering if most of this post makes sense, but seeing has how I can't remember if I brushed my teeth or not and at the moment I'd run out the door barefoot (in 30 degree weather), I guess I can't rely on my coherency at the moment. Pin It

Today is the day...supposedly (updated)

I find out today if my book made it to the ABNA quarterfinalists. But as of 8:12am my time, I have yet to receive any notification of my book's status.

Later today (supposedly) the quarterfinalists will be announced on Amazon.com. You can download excerpts and vote to see who will make it to the semifinalists and the finalists. So I'd recommend you do that, regardless of whether or not I make it. But hopefully I will:)

Cheers! (And keep your fingers crossed for me!!)

**Update**

It's 9:27pm. I have still heard nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Zip.

I'm going to bed. Pin It