Two Contracts in Two Days

"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent." ~ Norman R. Augustine

So three days ago, I received an email from Literary Cottage Agency, who was taking submissions for the anthology "My Mom is my Hero." I had submitted one and found out it's been selected as a finalist! They take 53 finalists. 50 are published in the book, and 3 are alternates. So the odds are good for me...fingers crossed. It's similar to the "Chicken Soup" books, from what I can gather, with narrative nonfiction pieces all about, well, you know, why your mom is heroic to you. I wrote about the time when I was in elementary school, and I wasn't allowed to take certain books out of the library because they were considered "too advanced" for a 1st grader. My mom straightened that out, and fast! The story is titled "Blue Circle Books," and if all goes well, the anthology will appear in print in Spring 2009, right before Mother's Day.

Then two days ago, I heard back from my editor at Samhain Publishing, offering me a contract for One Night in Memphis!! Very exciting...I had submitted the full to her over two months ago, so it was nice to hear a response. No guarantees, even if you've already published with them! So I am really, really happy about that one as well!

I feel as though I can finally say, yes, I am a writer. It's a nice feeling :)