OMG VICTORY!!! Sorry for hijacking this post Denise – but – ok guys, so she sent me this post back in November and I thought I had it scheduled and set but the WP update screwed things up and posts weren’t going live and this was one and I thought I fixed it but didn’t and today I went back and HERE IT IS!! So anyway, I’m totally excited to welcome Denise to ALBTALBS as an official guest and author!
Erm, and my apologies, because it was supposed to be a birthday post, but obviously I’m back dating it so – this is way way off, but a very very very happy [belated] birthday to you, Denise!
When Limecello put out the altar call for Tuesday birthdays, I raised my hand right away. I had several ideas, stories to share, then life through me a bit of a curveball—in a good way.
Late Spring, I saw a judged writing contest for a Christmas theme short story, preferably with an Austenesque slant, featured on a blog and decided to enter. I’d put my writing on hold for a while, but I needed to get back to it now—too easy to put off. I wrote a short story and submitted it. I spent the summer running my kids around, took a short vacation, and the business of life settled into place. I was planning another story around the time the winners were to be announced. I woke up one morning, and there was the email—I was a runner up in the writing contest. And, one of the rewards of winning was to be published in an anthology (confession: I knew that when I entered, but it’s so much more of a reality when you have a contract)! I was excited beyond words. Next came a whirlwind of edits and revisions until the final product was ready for publication. The date listed on Goodreads—my birthday! Granted, the publisher had to put a date down, and don’t think me too off the wall, but I felt it was a good omen for the anthology to be published on my birthday.
The ebook released just shy of my birthday in my time zone, but I think it technically still released on my birthday somewhere in the Pacific. So that counts, right? And, the trade paperback hit within twenty-four hours of that, so I’m counting it as a win! The date of publication is listed as my birthday! Best birthday and contest win ever!!!
So, you’re not going to hear about my unicorn cake my mom made when I was sixteen—I had a photo to share, too. Went through a lot of photos to find it. I’m too excited about the anthology and publication. But, I am going to give you a teaser:
They left the restaurant and drove home in silence. He glanced her way occasionally, she noticed, as if he wanted to say something but then appeared to reconsider it. His profile betrayed nothing of his thoughts. She studied his strong jaw and discovered a bit of grey in his thick, but short, dark hair. She’d never been so alone or close to him before, and a consciousness of the car’s intimate space enveloped her. The smell of his cologne—masculine with a hint of citrus—ignited her senses.
Yep, that’s all you get. I hope you liked it!
Denise Stout, author
What’d you guys think? 😀 And please join me in wishing Denise a very happy [>.> belated] birthday!! AND congratulations for having her first story published!
Thank you! 🙂
Denise
😐 sorry it took 50billion years for this post to properly go live :\
Happy belated, again, and congratulations on the story! <3
What a fun (and funny) post! That short car scene is one of my faves.
Thank you for supporting the anthology!