It Pays to Answer Your Phone.

I got some good news this week, and the moral of the story is this: sometimes it does pay to answer those random phone calls.

 

If you’re like me, you never answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize. I’ve gotten too many telemarketers and scammers, so I’m always cautious about answering my phone with a number I don’t recognize. I also have phone security apps that weed out a lot of the spam calls.

 

So, on Sunday, when my phone rang from a number in Atlanta, and I knew I didn’t recognize it, I let it go to voicemail. And forgot about it, especially when my phone didn’t alert me to a voicemail. Later in the day, I was scrolling on my phone and noticed an alert on my voicemail screener. Usually, those calls are spam, but if I get an alert, I check it. 

 

The cool thing about that app is it transcribes the voice mail so I can get a hint at least about the type of voicemail it is. This time, the app couldn’t transcribe the message. I was positive that meant it was a scam. But I listened to it anyway.

 

Good thing I did, because it was from the contest chair for the Maggie Awards, a contest run by the Georgia Romance Writers. Although it only asked me to call them back, I knew it would be good news of some sort, since you never get calls that you LOST a contest.

 

I called back immediately, left a voicemail, and unblocked the strange Atlanta number that I’d blocked before. Oops. She called me right back and let me know I’m a finalist in the contest for my book Unlock My Heart. Winners will be announced at their conference in October. 

I'm A Finalist!

I received some good news this weekend. My book, Whispers in Washington, is a finalist in the Published Maggie Award for Excellence. The Maggies are sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers. The awards recognize the achievements of published authors of romantic fiction (there are also awards for unpublished authors). Books are ranked by librarians, booksellers, and other industry professionals. Winners receive a silver medallion and national recognition, and are announced at a conference in October.

Needless to say, I was excited. They even called me on the phone to let me know about my status.

 

I enter my books in lots of contests. Although I try to avoid the “popularity” ones—where you have to ask for votes from people you know—I enter those occasionally, too. There are many reasons why I enter contests. The popularity ones get me attention from my reader friends. The winners often receive free advertising, which is useful when I’m trying to promote my books.

 

The non-popularity ones, like the Maggie, help to get my books in front of industry professionals. If nothing else, I get editorial feedback that I can use to improve my craft. And if I somehow win, well, national recognition in the industry is nothing to sneeze at. 

 

Usually, I lose out to writer friends. Although it stings, I love seeing my friends win. And this community of romance writers is supportive, so we all love to cheer for each other.

 

This time around, with the Maggie, I’m up against one of my critique partners. She actually finaled with two books, so my chances of winning are even less. The funny thing is, this book was not seen by my critique partners. Due to the speed with which we critique each other’s works, and my deadlines, I was unable to submit my manuscript to them first. But I wrote and edited with all three of them on my shoulders, reminding me of the things they usually pick up in my work.

 

It must have worked. 

 

Regardless of the outcome, I’m buoyed by the fact that I’m a finalist. It’s a big achievement, and it gives me that little extra psychological nudge that I needed.

 

So, until October!