The End of an Adventure

Hey y'all!

So it's official, the fantastically awesome, crazy cool adventure is finally over.

It's been an incredible journey, but Mirrored Time is officially out of the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. And you know what? I feel pretty good.

So I'm not going to lie, checking my computer today to find the list of Semi-Finalists, was a bit like this:

And yeah, for a split second, after I saw my name wasn't on the list, I felt kind of ... well ...

... it burns us!!!! 

Then I ate a cookie. (Or five.) And pretty soon I was feeling a lot better. Obviously, if my name had been on the list, I would have danced an amazing dance. Or been happier than a hobbit with a full pantry.

But I didn't, and that's okay. Because I have gained an amazing experience along the way, and made some even more amazing friends. Before ABNA, there was a whole list of things I didn't know and I was woefully out of my league. Then I met some fantastic new friends, formed a writers' group, learned all that I had done wrong, edited MT to an inch of it's life, and now? Now it's published!

To my fellow ABNA writers, if you happen to stop by, I hope today you don't feel too down. Writing is not for the weak, and if you've entered ABNA, hey, guess what? You already have a book written! You already are halfway there! Yes, winning would have been super cool. And made this whole process a lot easier. But don't give up. Your story deserves it. Just like my story deserves it. Remember:

So, nurse your hurts, celebrate your achievements, have a pint (or a box of cookies). Do what needs to be done. And then when tomorrow comes, pick up the pen, open a new word.doc, look up formatting manuals. Get that book out there. Because I believe in you!

Love, J.D.

P.s.

#unexpectedhotdwarves