More Good News for Meghan’s Choice
Last week, we learned that Meghan’s Choice made the finals of a very prestigious writing contest — the Will Rogers Medallion Award. #MeghansChoice #WillRogersMedallionAward #BRMCWC #SelahAwards
We’re very thrilled and pleased. Meghan’s Choice has usually done quite well in contests, except for the very first contest I entered it in.
That’s because I had a lot to learn about how to write a really good book. I learned from the ACFW Genesis contest of 2014 that things needed to be done to help this story out. I made some changes. ACFW Genesis is for unpublished authors.
At the end of 2014, I entered the last Operation 1st Novel contest that Jerry Jenkins sponsored. I made the semi-finals! Yay! One of ten. My post “Please Get Your Facts Straight” tells you what happened with that contest!
But again, I learned. They suggested I expand the public stakes in the story. So, I did. Still, there were no publishers interested.
Finally, last year, during my first bout of flu, my agent called and told me Hartline would publish it through Amazon White Glove.
I made another story change. My first line had always been, “Meghan Gallagher sat at the baby grand and played a melancholy tune.” Or something like that. I decided to show why Meghan was playing a melancholy tune. She was dumped by the man she thought was going to marry her.
At the end of last year, the book comes out. I gathered up my courage again at the beginning of this year and entered three contests that didn’t have sales requirements. The Selah Awards of Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Contest and the Will Rogers Medallion Awards are two of those contests. I’m still waiting to hear about the third contest.
But I am so thrilled to think that my story is good enough to make the finals of these contests. It’s encouraging. I probably won’t go to Ft. Worth to see what, if anything I win, but I’m still pleased. I’m guaranteed at least a certificate.
I wanted to share this with you, my blog readers, to encourage you to never give up. To keep on writing even when it seems you’re getting nowhere. Because you never know when things will turn around for you. #MeghansChoice #WillRogersMedallionAward #BRMCWC #SelahAwards
Donna L.H. Smith 