I’m still excited and honored and blessed to know my book, The Outsider, is one of five finalists announced last week by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for the 2009 Christian Book Award in Fiction. Since 1978 the Christian Book Awarde has honored titles in six categories: Bibles, Bible Reference and Study, Christian Life, Fiction, Children & Youth, and Inspirational & Gift. I’m overwhelmed that my book was picked for a fiction finalist. I’m going to Dallas, Texas in March to be there when they announce the winners at the Awards Banquet that is a ticketed event open to the public for the first time ever. I feel as if I’m a winner already just by being in the five finalists along with Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins, Home Another Way by Christa Parrish, Less than Dead by Tim Downs, The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. What great company to be among!
And I know you’re excited for me too. I’m going to meet so many well-known Christian authors I know I’ll be big-eyed with wonder. Hope I’ll know how to act. Of course with me I just have to be myself. That’s how the Lord made me and while He probably shakes His head sometimes about the mistakes I make, He always tells me to get up off my duff and give it another try. That’s all any off us can do after we flub up. Try again and hope we learned from our mistakes. Not that I expect to flub up in Dallas. I’ve discovered that most writers are friendly and fun to talk to – famous or not.
Talk about flubbing up. I’ve made about a zillion typing errors doing this blog entry. You’d laugh if you could see me. I’m in WV babysitting my sweet grandbaby boys and using my granddaughter’s laptop to get on line. A keyboard gremlin has to have been hold of her keyboard (or maybe her little sisters) but nine of the key covers are missing and it’s a challenge to type without them. Plus I’m trying to keep the babies happy. Two are twice as sweet and twice as much love, but two are also twice as much crying. I thought I’d be able to do some research reading while I was here, but forget that. One of them wants Grandma to hold them all the time. They’re five and a half months old and really very good, but all babies cry and need holding. Two twice as much. Speaking of which, Matt says he’s hungry. Now, Grandma!
Talk to you Wednesday.