I received some great news last week. One of my writing friends emailed a congratulations. She saw on a list that Simple Gifts was nominated by Romantic Times Magazine as one of their favorite Harlequin Americans of 2006. Saying this was a surprise was pretty much an understatement. And because I was so surprised, I quickly wrote my friend back and told her that I thought she had made a mistake. Maybe she'd mistakenly pressed SEND to the wrong girl?
Well, Cathy wrote me back with a big : ) and said nope, she had it right...and listed all five Harlequin American Authors who were nominated. I called in my husband and we stared at the list on the screen together: Laura Marie Altom. Pamela Browning. Shelley Galloway. Debra Salonen, Marin Thomas. Yep, there I was, neatly stuck in the middle of such a great group of authors. So amazing!
Don't you love surprises like that? Unexpected ones which take you so off-guard that you can honestly say you're shocked? I don't think they happen too often in life...so each one is very sweet, to say the least.
Well, after I made my two teenagers come look at the screen, too, (Um, good job, Mom) I did the only thing I could do...I called my critique partner, Heather Webber. Luckily, she was home, and luckily, she finally made it real..."Yay!" she called out, then said she felt like crying. So, that's what we did. I stood in my kitchen, talked to Heather, and cried with my writing buddy, because she knew how much Simple Gifts had meant to me, and how much writing for Harlequin means to me. I think I mainly got all teary because it's nice to have girlfriends who can give you an really nice suprise on a Sunday evening, and to have girlfriends who will pick up the phone and be thrilled for you...just because.
So, congratulations to Laura and Pamela and Debra and Marin. And here's to good, very sweet, totally unexpected surprises. I hope everyone gets a sweet surprise one day very soon.
Shelley
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8 comments:
Shelley
Cheers to unexpected surprises!
Like you, I was shocked, and thrilled to hear Aaron Under Construction (July 06)received an RT nomination. Congratulations to the authors nominated. I'm honored to be included in such a talented group of writers.
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Shelley, I'm such a sap! It's hard not to get teary when I know how hard you worked to get where you are. Congrats (again) to you and to all your fellow nominees! It's an awesome accomplishment.
And I'm amazed you got that much out of the teens. That there is another major accomplishment.
Congrats, Shelley.
It's an honor you've earned. Simple Gifts was a wonderful story!
Congratulations, Shelley, and all the other HAR authors!! MY CP's debut book has also been nominated in the ST Contemp Romance category, so we've been celebrating since she found out, tearing up included.
Cathy Liggett said...
Shelley, Congrats and big hugs. I'm simply ecstatic for you! You know how they say, it couldn't happen to a nicer person...well, in this case, it's true (if you throw in dedicated and inspiring too).
Congrats to all the other HAR authors too! Happy celebrating!
Shelley, congratulations and thanks for posting. Roz Fox emailed me with the question: "Are congratulations in order?" And I responded, "Huh?" (So not my usual erudite self, right?)
Exciting news and I'm quite shocked. In fact, I don't even know which book.
I haven't joined the blog since I don't have any more HAR projects in the works at the moment and felt like an imposter, but I loved writing my Sisters of the Silver Dollar series, and really enjoy reading the line. Sorry I missed yours. It sounds wonderful -- so full of emotion.
Celebrate!
Deb Salonen
CONGRATULATIONS Shelley & all the American authors!
I think I could handle that kind of surprise!
Thanks so much, everyone, for the awesome congratulations! This book meant a lot to me, so I'm really thrilled that the reviewers at RT liked it, too.
So good to hear from you, Deb and Marin! Like I said, it's an honor to be in your company.
Shelley
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