Romance Writers of America made history Saturday night when for the first time they awarded one of their top literary prizes to a self-published novel.
What just happened?
I clapped extra hard out there in the audience when they announced OFF THE EDGE by Carolyn Crane the Rita winner in the romantic suspense category. And so did everybody else, though it may have been that they knew of the author and had read the book more than its self-published status that got them excited.
Thank you, RWA. And thank you Rita judges. Again Romance Writers of America is the leading writing organization in embracing the twenty-first century and the changes the internet has brought to us.
I don’t fool myself that I’ll ever win a Rita. I doubt I’ll ever get a Newbery, or a Hugo, or a Nebula, or an Edgar. And I gave up on the Pulitzer a long time ago. Sometimes I dream about the Nobel Prize, but that’s usually after a pepperoni pizza dinner and doesn’t count.
For the rest of you self-published romance writers of merit, the opportunity awaits. Be sure to enter the contest if you think your book is good enough and you qualify. I’d like to see another of us win next year, too.
The walls come tumbling down
WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: Miles to Little Ridge by Heath Lowrance.
My non-prizewinning books can be found at
http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix
Photos by Roxanne Rix
That is exciting news for sure! How fun to be there in the midst of things! You make me wonder if I should join RWA. Its sounds thrilling to be there when history was made. And hey, who says you won’t ever win. I just read the first chapter of Safari Bride and WOW! Never say never and keep writing! Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
~ Tam Francis ~
http://www.girlinthejitterbugdress.com
Keep tuned. I plan to do an “Adventures of Gretchen at the RWA Nationals” over the next week or two. You learn a lot in RWA. The Austin branch meets once a month on a Monday. And it’s in Austin, of course. You could come as a guest for a meeting!