Hi ho, MMMLOGerinos!

Yes, I am a contest "enthusiast", thank you very much. And it's RWA's fault. Back in the early nineties when I crossed over into writing fiction, I discovered that entering RWA national and chapter writing contests could be very encouraging for this writer who was waiting too long to sell fiction. While getting your novel published may take years, and, though the waiting can promote the development of patience, entering a contest and getting the results is a quicker way to see results of one's literary labors.

There are RWA contests for unpublished writers, published writers and even newsletter editors. I've done great in most of the contests I've entered over the years and won a couple of awards for editing chapter newsletters, too. I haven't been able to crack the RITA contest of published romance fiction, but I keep trying.

There's a new contest for website excellence that I entered this year sponsored by Sacramento Valley RWA. I think my web designer, Willa Cline, is a genius and I love what she's done with my site. So I entered the website contest. And yippppy, the coordinator emailed to say that my site is a finalist for the Silver Rose Award for Website Excellence in the Professionally Created category. The winners will be announced December 11 with links to the finalist/winner sites.

Oh, I do love contests!

Ciao, ciao, MMMMMMMMMMMMelinda