Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I won! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I can't!

Over the weekend I had the privilege to attend American Night Writers Association (ANWA) conference with a fantastic group of writers. They're my peeps. The majority of writers are introverts, so we get each other. Knowing the commonality we share makes it easier to step up and say hi. Plus, with all the authors there, missing the opportunity to find the next read for my TBR list would be stupid, so I have to say, "Hi. What do you write?"

I've been to some other writer conference in the past, but that was 9 years ago, so I felt like a newbie. But there were people I knew from way back then that I had the opportunity to reconnect, which was fantastic! I learned a bunch of new stuff and was reminded of the things I already knew. If you ever get a chance to attend a writer's conference, do it. You won't regret.

Anyway...

I won! I entered a beginning of book (BOB) contest and won 2nd place in the suspense category and 2nd place in the romance category!

My suspense is called Skoolie on the Run (title subject to change). For those who are unfamiliar with skoolies, they are a school bus converted into a home. Go look up skoolie tours on YouTube. You'll love them! My book Skoolie on the Run is about a woman who's on the run from her expert hacker ex-boyfriend. She meets up with a cornfed Texan man who lives and works in a skoolie and travels the country to surf. He does his best to keep her alive and tries to help her see her value so she might overcome the abuse from her life.

My romance entry is a short story called Betrothal to a Highwayman. It's a cute comedy set in mid nineteenth century England along a dark highway and a pub where my female character dresses up like a man to seek out her father's murderer. She is found out by a gentleman who teases her into confiding to him her plan. It's got the enemies to lovers trope, along with an arranged marriage trope.

ANWA knows how to throw a party, y'all!

My daughter went with me to the conference and attended the costume party in her cute Hogwarts garb. The theme was Anti-hero. I didn't know that until the party started so I went as Caroline Bingley. I totally look like her. Right?

Well, the conference has ended, which is a little sad and a bit of a relief. And I say relief simply because after three days of devouring information the brain gets a little tired. I'll take a couple of days for a break, then I'm going to dive into my writing and edits to apply what I learned. But I can't go yet without thanking all those who threw such a great conference. Y'all are awesome and appreciated! Thank you!