THE RITA CALL

The Rita Call...

If you’re an author and entered the Rita contest, you knew the Rita and Golden Heart calls were going out on March 25. It was all over the Internet loops and on the RWA Web site. In case you don’t know, the 2009 RITA honors romance fiction published in 2008. More than 1,000 novels and novellas were judged in 12 categories. The 2009 Golden Heart Award honors unpublished romance manuscripts in 2008. Winners of the awards will be announced July 18th at the RITA and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony to be held at RWA’s 29th Annual National Conference in Washington, D.C.

There is a little glimmer of hope in all of us who write that one day we’ll be on that prestigious list of finalists. For me, that’s all it’s ever been—a small glimmer. I wasn’t anxiously sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. I usually get to my computer about ten o’clock to start my writing day. I’d planned to check in then to see who had gotten a call. Early that morning I was trying to get a doctor’s appointment changed. The nurse said her computer was down and she’d call me back as soon as she could or the receptionist would.

Ten minutes later the phone rang. I answered and the lady said, “May I speak to Linda Warren.” Thinking it was the nurse, I replied, “Just a minute.” I was in the bathroom and I didn’t have a pen to write down the date and time. It was a three month appointment and I knew I’d forget. So I hurried into the bedroom for a pen, and said, “Okay.”

The lady asked, rather puzzled, “Is this Linda Warren?”

I answered, “Yes.”

She went on to say she was an RWA director and she had some great news. Things went over my head after that. I kept thinking this isn’t the nurse. OhmyGod, this isn’t the nurse! By then I was listening closely. Texas Heir was a finalist in Series Contemporary. My heart was about to pound out of my chest, but I asked her name because I’d missed it the first time and I thanked her, and thanked her. I hung up and started to cry. I was so happy. That glimmer suddenly became a big reality.

I’m probably the only person in RWA who kept an RWA director waiting on call day. Oh my. I don’t know if my heart can take all this excitement. But I’m going to enjoy every minute.

Here’s to dreams that come true. Win or lose, I’ll still be happy and probably crying.
What an incredible day.

Texas Heir is an American book so I wanted to share this with you. And congratulations to Cindi Meyers for her American final with The Right Mr. Wrong. We’re going to have a great time in DC.

Wanna happy dance with me? Yay for the American line!!

Linda
www.lindawarren.net
The Sheriff of Horseshoe, Texas