As all of you know, I entered Love’s Illusions in the 2016 Maggie Awards contest. I was surprised to get a call in July saying I had made the finals and even more surprised when they announced that I had WON the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category this past Saturday night. I had not let myself even dream of actually winning and my ‘acceptance speech’ was a blur of babbling. I belong to the First Coast Romance Writers (FCRW) group in Jacksonville, Florida, and another member, Marie Long, had just won her category, so all I could think of to say was just replay Marie’s speech – there are no words for the way I feel.
So if I could do it all over again, first of all, I’d thank my daughter. She was the impetuous behind writing the book in the first place. All I wanted to accomplish was to give her some history, a sense of who I was outside of being her mother. I’d thank Joanna Penn. Although we’ve never met, her blog and personal answers to my email gave me the courage as well as information to publish, and I’d thank my beta readers and the members of FCRW. Not only did they yell and cheer for me and Marie, they are a strong and supportive group that made me feel welcome.
I was lucky enough to have my daughter, Kate, attend the awards ceremony with me. So since I hardly ever take pictures, here are some she took. Enjoy! And if you haven’t read Love’s Illusions yet – give it a try!
