Posted on March 29, 2016
It’s almost April Fools Day — months away from Thanksgiving — but I think it’s always a good thing to count your blessings. I know I need more thankgiving in my life. So I’m going to try to post more about gratitude.
You can find opportunities for counting your blessings in the most unusual places. For example, last week the Romance Writers of America announced their RITA nominees. The RITA is an award of excellence for Romance authors, and being nominated for one is like being nominated for an Oscar.
No, I wasn’t nominated. But not being nominated for a prestigious award posed a wonderful opportunity to count my blessings, and to remind myself that sometimes the best prize is the consolation prize.
I learned this years ago, when I was working hard to get my books published. I would enter one contest after another for unpublished authors and I didn’t win any of these contests. Not a single one. I did score a nomination for the Golden Heart in 2009 and 2010, but I didn’t win the prize either of those years, and none of the books that were nominated for the Golden Heart were ever published.
But one day, after decades of disappointment, a publisher called. A big publisher. They wanted to buy a book that had been widely panned by every contest judge known to man. That book was Welcome to Last Chance. I will forever be thankful for that consolation prize.
So on Friday, as I was working through my disappointment, my editor sent me the cover art for my soon-to-be-published novella. And it’s beautiful. I’m sharing it here. I am still grateful for all the wonderful things my publisher does for me, not the least of which is believing in the stories I write and giving my books such beautiful covers.
I’m also sharing a link to the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood’s Consolation Day celebration for all the authors who didn’t get nominated for an award last Friday. Designating a day for consolation is nothing short of brilliant. I wish I had thought of it, but alas I didn’t. Still, I’m grateful for a place where authors can come together and encourage each other to look for the silver linings.
