2008 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Details

The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, sponsored by RWA chapter Southern Magic, was conceived in honor of multi-RITA Winner Gayle Wilson to award excellence in published romance fiction. The contest is judged by avid readers of romance, booksellers, and librarians. The winners of each category are awarded a bookmark engraved with the author's name and the book's title. Winners will also be included in a full-page RWR advertisement.

Eligibility: Participation is open to all published authors of novel length romance fiction published by an RWA-recognized publisher. Books must have a copyright of 2007; entries must be received by January 15, 2008. Electronic books may be entered provided they are presented in print book format, published through an RWA-recognized publisher and complete with copyright page produced by the publisher with print on both sides of the page.

Entry fee: RWA Members - $20 for first book; $15 for subsequent books. Entry fee: Non-RWA Members - $30 for first book; $15 for subsequent books.

Author must provide three copies of the entered book, which will not be returned. Finalists will be notified approximately March 3, 2008. Winners will be announced on April 12, 2008, at the Silken Sands Writers Conference in Pensacola Beach, FL. All finalists receive a certificate. Winners receive an engraved bookmark and inclusion in full page RWR ad.

Authors may enter more than one novel; however, the same novel may not be entered in multiple categories. If a category does not receive at least 5 entries, the category will be canceled, and the entrants' books and entry fees will be returned.

Categories for entry: Short Contemporary (Under 70,000 Words)

Long Contemporary (Over 70,000 Words)
Historical
Single Title Romantic Suspense
Series Romantic Suspense
Paranormal/Fantasy/ Futuristic/Time Travel
Contemporary Single Title
Young Adult
Inspirational
Novella (20,000 - 40,000 Words)

Judging: All entries are judged by avid readers of romance, booksellers, and librarians. The top two scores are added to form the final score. The lowest score is dropped. Ties are broken using the dropped low score. Books are given to the judges as a "thank you" for judging. They are not returned. Scores and finalist placement are not revealed. Score sheets are not returned. The decision of the judges is final.

Send entries (three copies of book, entry form + entry fee) to:
Jennifer Echols
Contest Coordinator
Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence
P.O. Box 190032
Birmingham, AL 35219

Make checks payable to Southern Magic.

Questions? E-mail: GWContest@southernmagic.org

Find details, past winners, and a downloadable entry form at http://www.southernmagic.org/gaylewilsoncontest.html

I'm Too Old For...

Close games.

BTW, the article has Bama at 2-1. That's wrong. We're 3-0, 2-0 in the SEC.

Six Years Ago

It was a clear, sunny Tuesday. I was getting ready for work, watching a morning show on cable, when the first report came in. A plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. They were thinking it might have been a small plane. There was talk of terrorism, but I remember thinking, no, just a bad pilot.

I left the house a little before 8 a.m. Central Time. Turned on the radio and learned that a second plane had hit the south tower of the WTC. I no longer assumed it was an accident

At work, we watched in horror as the events unfolded. Saw the first reports from the Pentagon, then later from a field in Pennsylvania. The world had changed.

Two years ago, I posted this computer art I made soon after the events of 9/11/01. I thought I'd share it again.

Ghosts of Manhattan

Funny Motherhood Blog

Came across this blog via a link on ebay. A busy mom with a much needed sense of humor.

http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/

Since I hope to be busy writing this week (just finished chapter 2 of the new book over the weekend), I thought I'd post some other reading material for you.

Hey!

Look what's up!

Whee!

Preorder early, preorder often.

Little Horror House on the Prairie

Iowahawk offers a vaguely creepy pictorial of farm implements.

Busy Beaver of a Day

Did some cleaning and organizing that was long overdue today. I also paid bills, which was painful, especially since one of the bills was the power bill, and Alabama had three weeks of 100+ temperatures in August. Our power bill was almost half as much as the mortgage payment. Ouch. Just...ouch.

Are y'all getting as bored with my desperate attempts to blog daily as I am? You can admit it. It won't hurt my feelings.

But just so you didn't come here in vain, how about a little eye candy?