I’m on my way to the Writer’s Digest Novel Intensive conference in Century City, CA for the weekend.
Yes, going to the home of the celebrities. Terrible traffic and exorbitant prices in that city. I can’t afford the hotel costs so I’m couch surfing it at my best friends apartment four cities away.
I’m feeling a little trepidation, a smidgen of excitement.
Will I learn something new, better, meet an agent, meet new friends?
So I’m off with my laptop, notebook and plenty of pens.
No business cards though. Are they even relevant anymore? We’ll see.
One of the best things that happen to a writer is when someone judges their work as ‘worthy.’
We get excited, do a happy dance, have an extra scoop of ice cream or glass of wine to celebrate.
I say this so I can move to the next bit of news.
Last Friday, I wrote that I decided to make the full moon, Friday the 13th, a double luck day. A few hours after that post I received an email from the CreateSpace people at Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest.
My novel was in the quarterfinals, the top 5% of 10,000 entries but it did not proceed to the semi-finals, which is the top 25.
That e-mail was a crusher. I wanted to delete my last post, say “double luck, my a**.”
But I didn’t.
I continued with my vacation, commiserated for a few minutes with my mom and sister. I emailed my writing hermanas. They sent me texts of support and lit the writing candle for me.
After awhile, I sat on the balcony and gazed at the mountain in front of me. My eyes landed on a heart.
Heart in Mountain-alvaradofrazier.com
“Count your blessings,” swung into my mind. “Yes, indeed.”
It’s a blessing to be with my mom, still fairly active in her mid 80’s. It’s a blessing to have close relationships with my sisters and brother. It’s a blessing to have supportive writers who cheer you on and forward. It’s a blessing to go on vacation
After dinner, I watched the full moon rise over a silhouette of mountains while I sipped at a glass of cold Pinot Grigio.
Full moon – Jeffry Sullivan, CC license
Over the weekend, I thought about the ABNA. It was a great experience for me.
I had fun, I had hope, and I dreamed.
Nothing wrong with any of that.
Now it’s time for the next steps. Wherever they lead.
alvaradofrazier.com 