I want to thank the selection team at Tablo.io and Laura Cordero for selecting my novel The Darkness as one of the winners of the 2015 NaNoWriMo contest they sponsored. Being selected as one of three novelists is quite flattering especially when I consider how many novels were submitted. Honestly, when I started all this, I never thought I could actually win it. I'm sure everyone felt that way, but for me, it was an absolute certainty. But that's normal, right? To have that lack of confidence? That self-doubt? I mean, especially a contest like this one with so many authors competing. Writing a novel is a big enough undertaking on its own, but writing one in a month is a herculean task!
But then I thought, why not?
I have been writing for a long time and mostly for my own enjoyment. Why not put my work out there. Chances are, nobody would like my writing and I could continue writing happily in blissful anonymity and obscurity. But if I didn't at least try, there would always be that voice barking in the back of my skull and I just couldn't let that happen.
So I put myself out there on Tablo.io and Viola! I won!
The thing that made this contest so appealing to me, (which was brought to my attention by my friend Eva) is that the winners would get a professional edit of their manuscript (which can cost thousands of dollars) and then have the edited version submitted to a network of publishers. I mean, it is a dream come true really. An actual chance to get passed the frontline at the publishing houses and have my work read by the people who actually make the decisions. There are no guarantees here and I know that. I'm not an idiot. But this is the best opportunity I've had and I'm eternally grateful to everyone who made it possible. Especially my family and friends who supported me and read/liked my novel on Tablo.io and made this possible.
I don't deserve you all, but I'm never giving any of you up!
