I made it!

http://www.textnovelblog.com/

Redeeming Characters has made it to the semi finals of the Dorchester Next Best Celler Contest! The contest was advertised in RWA magazine back in September, advertising that the New York based publishing house was seeking the next new voice in the romance genre.

Voice is one of those obscure things we writers hear about all the time, with no real definition as to what it is.The best we typically get is, hey you know Sue Grafton/ Stephanie Meyers/ Janet Evanovich? They have voice. Basically, it's like the wind; you know it when you experience it, even if it's difficult to describe.

I'd never heard of textnovel before but decided to check it out. After setting up an account and figuring out how to post, I was astonished at how quickly my stories, first River Rats then Redeeming Characters, accumulated votes. Within two weeks, Drue and Dakota's story picked up an Editor's Choice award from the site. For the most part, the feedback I received was genuie and very helpful. Sometimes all I need as a writer is one person really diggig my story to keep going, to not lose faith in myself or my characters.

And here I am with a real shot at bypassing the infamous slush pile and being read by an editor! Even Drue is ecstatic!

Thank you for reading, for believing in me and even more importantly, helping me to believe in myself. I owe you one!