I Didn't Win

I didn't win the award for best Christian Fiction novel of 2009. :( Actually I didn't expect to win, but then when they were announcing the winners at the banquet last Thursday night about five minutes before they were ready to announce the fiction winner, I got to thinking, you know, it would be nice to win. And what if I do? I better think about what I might say up there on the stage. I had already told a couple of people who had asked if I had an acceptance speech all written out that I was just going to say "I'm speechless." Which would have certainly been true. Amazed, too. But then I didn't have to be speechless or amazed because Susan Meissner's book, The Shape of Mercy was the winner. She gave a nice speech and obviously wasn't "speechless." And I was a little disappointed. Especially the next day when her book had that beautiful gold medallion already added to the copies on display.

I talked with Susan and she's a wonderful writer and person. I had no trouble being happy for her. I grabbed a copy of her book, unsigned unfortunately, but maybe I'll put it in one of my book giveaways this summer. I'm going to draw for the winner of my current contest tonight. I'll be sending out a newsletter to my friends and readers - and that's not and/or. If you are reading my books, I think we're friends. Anyway I'll be letting everyone know who the lucky winner is in the newsletter first and then I'll post it here on Wednesday night. I mean somebody needs to be a winner this weekend since I didn't quite make it.

Still as I told my church family this morning when they were assuring me that I was a winner to them, I did feel like a winner just being in the top five. Plus seeing The Outsider on April's Christian Book Association bestseller list is another winning moment. Having so many friends pulling for me was definitely the best winning moment.

Darrell and I had fun in Dallas. I got to meet a lot of great writers, and even better, now I can put faces with some of the people I work with at Baker Publishing. It was a good two or three days. Those pilots had no trouble at all navigating the skies. That must have been all of your prayers giving us smooth air. And no telling how many other blessings the pilots got just because you guys were all praying for them coming and going. I know I was mightily blessed. I even looked not too bad in the outfit I bought last week. My hair wasn't perfect, but you can't have everything. I did manage to wear heels and keep my earrings on for the whole evening. That was the first time I've worn earrings since my oldest son got married some 16 years ago. I even wore them to church this morning just to prove to everybody that I had earrings. Some of them didn't recognize me. ;)

I'm off now to hear the Patriots sing in Mercer County tonight. They'll be in Pennsylvania next Friday night and then in northeastern Kentucky at Mayfield and Ashland on Sunday. I'm staying home. I need to get back to work on that stubborn third Shaker novel. One of the writers I met said she loved to write on her laptop in the car. I'm sure someone else was driving her to important appointments and booksignings. Me, I'd just get car sick. But I do love to write. Even when the words aren't coming easy. Writing is what I do.

Hope you are having a good weekend. The weather is gorgeous here in Kentucky today and if you don't want to go outside, you've got ballgames to watch. I love the tournament, but I've missed most of it this year. So did my team, unfortunately. UK fans are not happy campers, but maybe a beautiful spring day like today will get us smiling again.

Thanks again for your good wishes and prayers. Wish I could have won for you.