Follow up & Good News!

Well better late than never, I always say. My conference was already a month ago. Where does the time go?

I guess we had Thanksgiving in there and another full day seminar in Toronto, plus tickets to THE SOUND OF MUSIC (excellent production), so I've been a bit busy.

First the follow up:

Other than a few minor glitches, the Ottawa Writers' Conference went well. I learned something from every speaker. Some were more interesting than others but all in all, well worth the trip. I even made it through my pitch with Brenda Chin from Harlequin. She is so nice and gave me some advice which I may or may not take. Anyways, always interesting to hear what editors are looking for.

Now my news:

I am a finalist in the GOLDEN PEN contest!! All day on Monday, I waited for an email or the phone to ring. Finally in the evening I decided I didn't final. However, they are several hours behind us, so it was still afternoon there! And I finally got the email! So I spent the next 2 days madly reading the judges suggestions and revising my entry to send in again. This time my dream editor from Steeple Hill, Melissa Endlich, will be judging it. The worst I can come in is third which is still wonderful. I'll find out mid-December. So we wait again!

Conference fever

Okay, so it's not the Nationals. But this weekend I'm going to the Ottawa chapter's Sweet and Spicy 2 conference. (I think I may be the only non-spicy writer there!)

I still haven't decided if I'll pitch my latest book or not. I have an appointment with one of the Harlequin Blaze editors (again - spicy), but I know she can recommend me to the Steeple Hill editor. I am not good at verbal things, however. Just having to record my answering machine announcement makes my tongue tangle (and that's reading off a paper!) And if anyone's within hearing distance, I can't do it. So the only way I'll get through a pitch is probably to read off cue cards. And if madam editor asks me a question, my mind will be a blank. *Sigh*

The other option is to just go in and chat for 10 minutes about the business in general. I can do that! Guess I'll play it by ear.

Other than the pitch, I'm really looking forward to getting away. We (my CP & I) are going by train, so we can relax and read along the way. Maybe see some nice fall colours too!

Will let you know how it turned out next week!

Happy writing.

Sue

Random Musings

Hey everyone,

Hope you're all enjoying September!

Here are some random thoughts for the day: (plus a picture of my beautiful daughter who won't friend me on Facebook)

1) How come washing machines only last 4-5 years now? I had one Inglis washing machine, a used one I bought for $150 when I first got married, that was fantastic. It finally died at age 32 or so. It was pretty old when I got it. Then our next brand new machine died at age 4. The transmission went (who knew a washing machine had a transmission!?) and the repairman told me it wasn't worth fixing. So I got ANOTHER new machine. Now just past it's fourth birthday, it won't spin dry properly. I had a repairman in today. He couldn't figure out what was wrong but it could be the motor! I said "But it's only 4 years old." He just gave me a look like "Lady, what do you expect for such an old machine." He said a new motor would cost around $300 and I should probably get a new machine. IT'S A CONSPIRACY, folks.

2) I opened a FACEBOOK account today. Not really sure why, but apparently it's the thing to do. My teenage daughter looked at me with horror when I told her I sent her a message and asked to be her friend. I guess it would look very un-cool to have such an OLD person on her friend list. SIGH. Oh well, at least I have other people who are willing to be-friend me! Now if I can just figure the whole thing out, I'll be fine!

3) Daughter did want me to read her new favourite book series by Stephanie Meyers. So I have started reading "Twilight" and surprisingly, I really like it! That's the sign of a talented author - one who can appeal to 15 year olds and 40 somethings as well.

4) If you leave peaches and pears on your patio table, you will have the scene of a MASSACRE the next day!! It looks like the raccoons were fighting over them. All the pears are gone, but the deck is littered with peach carcasses! Fun!

Well, enough random musings for today. They say gas prices may drop a bit tomorrow. I sure hope so. 15 cents a litre increase in one day is a bit ridiculous to say the least.

TTYS! Sue

BACK TO SCHOOL!

Hallelujah! School is back. Back to routine, normal bedtimes and homework! With one pre-teen and a teenager, mom and dad were in bed many nights before the kids. What a strange feeling!

Then when I came home from work at lunch time, they were sometimes just getting up!

Yes, I am glad they are back to the grind. Now maybe I can get myself back into a routine as well. And just maybe the house will stay clean for an hour or so at a time.

Happy September everyone :)

CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!

Yes, I'm using an Olympics analogy. I have crossed my finish line and finished my book! "Threads of a Tapestry" is done as of Aug.8/08! BTW, this date is supposed to be the luckiest ever according to Chinese philosophy. Hope it rubs off on my ms.

Now I have to let it settle for a bit and then tackle the editing process. I am going to give myself until the end of September to polish it up and then I'll have to decide whether to submit it to a publisher or get an agent first. Big decision!

The Olympics have been so inspiring, not just to athletes, but to anyone trying to achieve a goal. Their dedication and perserverance is awe inspiring. People like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt blow me away! And the Canadian diver (sorry, can't remember his French name). Great stories of persistance to gain your dreams.

I will continue to write with my goal in sight!

Golden Heart Update

It's all over for another year. The Golden Hearts have been given out and, sadly, I did not receive one. But as the Oscar hopefuls always say, "it was an honour just to be nominated".

Congratulations to Kit Wilkinson who won for the Inspirational Category, plus all the other winners! I really hope to be able to go next year and experience the excitement in person.

On a more positive note, I am SO CLOSE to finishing my latest work in progress (WIP), my fingers are itching. Just a few more last scenes to work out and "Threads of a Tapestry" will be complete!

Until then, happy blogging!

Sue

Everyone's in San Fran!

Well it's lonely here with all the Golden Heart finalists and lots of my fellow Toronto chapter writers out in San Francisco for the National Conference and awards!

I hope they are all having a fantastic time. Lots of workshops and speakers and camaraderie to share.

As a finalist, I will miss that once in a lifetime moment of my HUGE head on the jumbo-tron. That alone would be worth the price of admission! Luckily a fellow finalist said she'd take a picture of my 15 seconds of fame as a keepsake. Thanks, Keli!

I want to wish all the wonderful Pixies (aka GH finalists) the best of luck on Saturday night's award. Too bad we all couldn't win. In my mind, we all are winners!

With bated breath I will wait for Sunday morning (Aug. 3) to find out the results. Kinda like missing the Oscars and waiting to hear the winners the next day on the radio. Tune in Sunday for an update!

Cheers, Sue