Arlene Hittle, 2011 RWA Golden Heart® Finalist
This is an exciting time for me. My manuscript, Beauty and the Ballplayer, was just named a finalist in the 2011 RWA Golden Heart® contest. About Beauty and the Ballplayer: Spunky and independent to a fault, graphic designer Meg Malone isn’t exactly crushed when she finds herself pregnant soon...
My mother would be proud
While celebrating my Golden Heart® finalist status in one of many phone calls over the weekend, my friend Pat said something that made me tear up a little. She said my mother would be proud. That’s true. My mom, an English teacher before I came along, always encouraged me...
Still on Cloud Nineteen
Yeah, I’m saying there has to be something higher than Cloud Nine, and I’m on it. I am a 2011 Golden Heart finalist. I’ve been fielding congratulatory calls, tweets and e-mails all day — and I’m glad to get them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought...
The Golden phone call
My phone woke me up — and this time, it was THE call … well, the call that I’m a Golden Heart finalist, at least. “Beauty and the Ballplayer” finaled in the contemporary series category. More later, since I’m sure this is the beginning of a long, wild ride!...
Countdown is on
I’m sure I’m not the only one counting down the days hours until Golden Heart finalist calls go out. To keep my nerves at bay, I’ve been checking in with the gals at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. They’ve been on GH countdown all week, and will have a big...
Funny stuff
Strange coincidences seem to be following me everywhere. In November, on the day I shipped off my GH entries, I got the call about finaling in the Beacon contest. Today, as I left the house for a write-in at Starbucks, I thought to myself, “I wonder why I haven’t...
Approaching rapidly
Jan. 10 will be here before I know it. That means it’s time to craft my goals for the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood Winter Writing Festival. But before I do that, I feel a need to create some writing resolutions for 2011. 2010 was a very successful year for me....
Looking back
I doubt this will be my last post of the year (I certainly hope not!), but I thought it was as good a time as any to look back at what I’ve done this year. That’s right: I was catching up on my Word Count Countdown spreadsheet and realized...
Confirmed
Well, I’m dealing with the disappointment of not getting into the first round of “Speed Dating with Deidre.” I didn’t even get the consolation prize, a chance to send in a one-page query. However, life — and the querying process — will go on. So will the nerve-wracking process...
Productive day
I’ve been a busy, busy writer today. Not only did I log a few more than the NaNo-recommended 1,667 words today, I read through both of my Golden Heart entries. They’re as good to go as they’re going to get, meaning it’s time to print those puppies out and...