I am a Golden Heart® finalist.

Once upon a time, I read a romance novel. To my shock, I loved the book.  Typically, I was one of those women who passed the romance section of the bookstore with nose tilted high on my way to the non-fiction and biography section. I bought another romance novel by a different author. I didn’t love that book quite so much, and told myself, “I can do better than this.”

Every romance author reading the above comment is laughing aloud right now.

I wrote my first book in 2005. The best part of writing your first book is the fact you don’t know what you’re doing, so you’re not freaking out over plotting, character arc, hooks, subplots, and all the other magic that goes into writing a “keeper” book. In 2006, I learned there was an entire organization devoted to the care and instruction of romance authors. Romance Authors of America® boasts 10,000 members, and hundreds of local chapters across the country. Anyone who’s serious about succeeding as a romance author belongs to RWA®.

My first book is on a thumb drive in my desk drawer. It is the worst piece of crap* ever, but I finished it. The first book is the learning book. I might take it out some day, dust it off, edit it, and show it to someone else, or maybe not. MOST authors do not sell their first book. Out of the hundreds of romance authors I know or have met, four managed to sell their first book, and four have never had a rejection. FOUR. There’s a learning curve.

Since that day in 2006 I sat at my computer and typed “The End,” I have written four other books. I have two books in various stages of completion as well – they needed to “cook” for awhile in my head before I did a lot of other writing on them. Some of my author friends have helped in the editing and polishing of my completed books. I’ve entered various contests with them. I’ve submitted some of them to editors and agents. It’s a tough business. Somehow, I will find the person that loves my work, and I will sell those books. Right now, though, I’m still working, and I’m still taking those steps towards publication.

My favorite NFL player, Patrick Kerney, said something in an interview a couple of years ago that has really stuck with me: “Greatness lies just beyond fatigue.” The hardest thing about what I do is persisting in the face of overwhelming odds. I know that fatigue. It’s followed me around for awhile now. I know something else, though: I will persist until I achieve my goals. I can’t imagine doing anything else, because despite the discouragement, fear and odds, I will succeed.

The Academy Awards of the romance industry are the RITAs and the Golden Heart. They are awarded at RWA’s national conference each year to authors whose work has been voted on by their peers. If you’re published, you’re going up against your colleagues for a golden statue. If you’re unpublished, you’ll win a 14k gold medallion necklace. Being a Golden Heart finalist has been one of my goals since I joined RWA. I have finished in the top 25% of voting for the past three years. It wasn’t enough.

The finalist notification calls went out last Friday morning. The Dauphin had an early meeting at the office, so I was up a little earlier than usual, and waiting for the excited recipients of those phone calls to start e-mailing and Tweeting everyone they knew. A couple of the finalists in other categories were already on Twitter. About 7:15 a.m., the phone rang. It wasn’t The Dauphin. The woman on the other end of the line asked for me, and identified herself as being from RWA. “You’re a Golden Heart finalist,” she said, and I burst into tears.

“Don’t cry, or you’re gonna’ make me cry, too,” she assured me, and asked if I had a pen to write some things down. She had instructions. I needed to send them a photo. They needed some other stuff, too. I’ll send it. She talked to me for a few more minutes, I thanked her a hundred or so times, and we hung up. I was shaking so hard I could barely dial the phone to call The Dauphin. Oh, yeah: I was still crying.

I’m sure getting an early-morning phone call from a crying wife is not a great way to start the day, but he handled it like a champ.

It’s been 48 hours since my phone rang. The people I know have said, e-mailed and Tweeted things to me I will cherish for the rest of my life. I have a one-in-eight chance of hearing my pen name called on July 1 in New York City. The award recipient speeches are heartfelt. Most are delivered through tears. After all, everyone in the ballroom knows how long and hard that author worked to succeed. They also know how many people around that author encourage and support them to success.

I hope to make one of those speeches. I’ll be thanking the members of my RWA chapter, Greater Seattle RWA, my friends, my mentors, Susan Mallery, Mary Buckham and Jane Porter. I’ll thank Cherry Adair and the “Write the Damn Book Challenge”; it produced the book that was nominated. I’ll thank some non-writing friends. Mostly, I’ll thank The Dauphin. I could never have embarked on this path without his help and his support. Mostly, he believed in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself.

If you’d like to admire the announcement, here it is. If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.

http://www.rwa.org/cs/2011_rita_and_gh_finalists_announcement

-S

*My creative writing professor in college urged us to write the worst crap in the United States – after all, writers learn and improve by writing. I asked her, “Why limit yourself?” I endeavored to write the worst crap in the universe…

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