Once in a while, an author needs a little validation.
I've been at this gig for over forty years now. That makes me sound really old, doesn't it? Well, I am no spring chick anymore. Let's just say I'm seasoned. :)
When I was a baby author, before I was published, there were three awards I held in high regard in the romance writing world: the Rita, the Maggie, and the Holt Medallion.
The Rita is long gone, replaced with a new name now. Last year I finaled for a Maggie award and a Holt Medallion with Beach Therapy. And this summer, I found out I won the Holt Medallion for The Me I Left Behind.
Now, some might say, I should be past needing the validation of a contest win to make me feel like a legitimate author. I've published over seventy fiction titles, and dozens of nonfiction works. No doubt, I'm a writer and a published author.
But winning the Holt after all these years? Nice.
I'd not entered contests for years until 2025. I felt stale. Unseen. Old. On the shelf. I've been around a long time. I've had good years and bad ones.
But this? This win? I'll take it with a big fat smile. Every. Freaking. Time. 
