I always figured the winners of contests are usually notified before the losers. So, as I watched the tweets for the Chicago North RWA chapter's Fire & Ice contest, I cheered along the others and prepared to offer congratulations to the winners. You can't imagine my complete and utter shock when I read this tweet:
I'm so honored, and so grateful to the judges of the Chicago North chapter. The other contestants were so talented, which is part of why this came as such a huge shock. That, combined with the history of never winning contests, left me floored! This great news comes after a rather difficult year in which the publisher I signed my debut with closed (meaning it wouldn't be published), I lost two family members, the beloved head of the agency who represents me passed away, and I had a health scare on top of it. So this news is so much more than welcome. I just... don't even have the words.
