Just got an email from the contest coordinator for one of the writing contests I entered in June, and I didn't final. Another slapdown for Hubris Girl. However, this was the one that was open to published authors, indeed sponsored by the Published Authors Special Interest Chapter of RWA. So I'm telling myself I must've been directly competing with Jo Beverley and Julia Quinn. Anyway. The first round scoring was by booksellers, and the score/comment sheets are to go in the mail this week. Should be an interesting source of feedback.

Aw, sorry to hear that, Susan.

Oh, Susan, I'm sorry. But--yes, competing with published authors is a tough room, and the feedback should be very useful.

And of course, I meant the loaded, not smoking, gun upthread.

Need lunch.

Susan, if you're bummed that you diidn't final because you were competing with Jo Beverly, just imagine how Jo Beverly is going to feel when she loses out to another published author.

In other news - which should possibly go in Literary, but that would mean me going into Literary, which aint gonna happen - I've just received confirmation that I'm indeed doing the (not a typo) Festival of Jewish Authors in December. Ought to be interesting: Of the four writers on the panel, I had one Jewish parent, and will be talking about growing up multifaith and rejecting all of them. Ayelet Waldman is Israeli by birth, but not remotely orthodox. Ellen Sussman's favourite food is crab-based sushi, and she's essentially Buddhist in her leanings. Only Victoria Zackheim writes about Judaism (her book, The Bone Weaver, dealt with the post-Holocaust world).

But the other three are all friends, and I foresee a fun weekend, especially if Ayelet hires a babysitter and brings Mister Hotter than the Surface of Mercury Pulitzer husband Michael with her.

I'm sorry that you didn't get to the final -- but competing against published authors -- wow.

The comments should be interested.

Wow, that's good news, Deb! It sounds like fun.

Also, would you like me to do a proxy post? Just zip in at the end of Lit'ry and copy and paste the above?

Nah, Bev, not necessary. It's just a nice feeling, because it brings things a step closer to getting shit done in the name of the about to be book, which makes things a bit realer for me.

I'm sorry that you didn't get to the final -- but competing against published authors -- wow.

Last year the winners/runners-up were pretty evenly split pubbed/non-pubbed, which is why I had the guts to enter. And the judging is anonymous, which levels the playing field. But, to mix metaphors, it's swimming in a deeper pool than the usual non-pubbed only contest.

Note from the over-booked:

Drabble topic will be posted later this evening. Prolly after 8 p.m. EST.

It's a strange thing, but I've found I can't write any more in my office/library/storage room. I just sit at the keyboard and stare at the bookshelves and think of all the things I want to do in there. However, if I take my cheapie laptop to the bedroom and get comfy on the bed, I have no problems.

Maybe it's a clutter thing, but my bedroom's no more clutter-free than my office. Hopefully this block won't continue much longer, because I like my office.