My Award-Winning Vacation
Some might call it work, but I used five of my vacation days to prepare for and attend this conference. It didn’t feel like work at all, even though I spent most of it inside on my favorite type of bright, sunny summer days. Normally that would be torture, but not last week. The conference began with my name being called to win an author photo session. The actual photo shoot was the only time I stepped outside the hotel doors all week. The high of meeting agents and editors, telling my story to rapt listeners, getting requests for my proposal to be sent via email, carried me through the weekend and into a new week. Even the so-so hotel fare for lunch and dinner and the one agent who told me I’d need to self-publish my memoir couldn’t dampen my mood.
An extra fun part of the week was when my teddy bear Calvin got to meet Ranger Bear in bearson and get his picture taken with him. Ranger Bear is the mascot for Karen Barnett’s historical fiction series centered around the National Parks. The first in the series, The Road to Paradise, came out in June. Ranger Bear and Karen were oh so gracious despite their fame.
The best part, and the most nerve-wracking part, came on Thursday evening, the last night of the Oregon Christian Writers Conference. The Cascade Awards Ceremony began with each finalist coming on stage to receive a finalist certificate. Then the announcement of the winners! Would the first line of my memoir be read? I hoped so, but couldn’t be sure. Then Susan May Warren read: “No sunny Southern California blue sky watched over me the day everything change.” I won! The perfect cap on a wonderful, award-winning vacation.
Summer sun outside
Loyal and true in darkness
Remind me of You
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It’s Haibun Monday at dVerse Poets Pub and Toni wants us to write about our summer vacation, so I decided to make the first post I wanted to write about the Oregon Christian Writers Conference into a Haibun for the occasion.
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Congratulations! Thursday night was indeed thrilling. As a finalist I was waiting to hear who the winner was. My daughter has young children and the first line of your book brought tears to our eyes.
Thanks! It was so encouraging to see you walk in stage to get your finalist certificate. You are any inspiration to many.
Argh…having trouble with internet connection…will try again here. So very glad you posted this Linda. Congratulations!!!! I clicked on the line — you should be very proud of this accomplishment and it should help in terms of getting it published too! Hurrah!
Thanks!
Congratulations Linda, what a wonderful experience! Wishing you all the best and lots of fun with the next stage too :o) xxx
Thanks! The only bad part about the whole week was I missed my dog. 🙂
Congrats to you! It’s SO rewarding when our work is appreciated! Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations! I can see why you spent all the time inside–going outside would have been a distraction. Best luck with your memoirs.
Thanks!
Congratulations, Linda! What an experience, to win an author photo session.and meet agents and editors. I love the picture of the bears and the haiku sums it all up perfectly.
Linda, this is so wonderful! Cheers, hugs, and my heartfelt congratulations! And all wrapped up in a haibun too – well done!
Thanks!
Congrats to you – what a wonderful vacation despite being out of the sun 😉
When we love what we do and can make a living with it… what a gift! I can feel your enthusiasm and joy in your words! congrats.
Thanks! I’d love to make a living with my writing. So far it’s a side gig, but who knows?
Congrats and hoping it will lead to more publications. I gathered you had so much fun with the conference. Cheers!
I had a blast! Now the hard work of follow-up and sending proposals starts, but even that I’m looking forward to.
What a tremendous honor! To have agents fighting over your work. That is indeed a time to relish!
They aren’t fighting yet, but just want to see the proposal. 😁
Well, that’s a great start!
Yippee for you! And thank you for sharing this with us. It sounds award winning in more ways than one. I am going to follow the link you provided after I finish this comment. And I love that you took your Teddy. I have another friend who takes her Teddy with her on various journeys, Congratulations and blessings.
Thanks! I was a little bummed that my poem didn’t win, too, but the competition was terrific. The memoir was what I really wanted to win. And it was fun to get to tell agents that writing Quadrilles for dVerse helped me with writing chapter summaries for my book proposal. 🙂
Wow! That is so cool.
Congratulations. Determination, hard work, and the Holy Spirit are the reasons for your success. God bless you.
Thank you. I would agree, except that I wouldn’t put them in that order. 😉