A wonderful thing happened while I was distracted.
Controlled Descent has been chosen as a semi-finalist in a statewide indie author contest. I got an email a week or so ago telling me this, buuuuuut...the message didn't sink in until yesterday.I can think of no better example than this to illustrate how thoroughly my mind has been consumed by the million details of moving into a new house & preparing our old house for listing. Just between you, me, and the lamp post, I'm pretty surprised it only took me a week to figure it out. Now that I have connected all the dots, I'm giddy. I mean. SEMI-FINALIST. W00T!How could I not catch that the first time around? Glad you asked. Funny story. I read the email, thought, "Cool, they've picked semi-finalists," and scrolled onward to the rest of the umpty-zillion house-related emails & messages awaiting my attention after my return from Dragon Con.I've entered The Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author Project every year since I first heard about it, so update emails are nothing new or rare. I filed this year's entry way back in the spring, long before House Adventure began, and carried on with life. It's a librarian-focused, library-centered contest, so of course I participate, but when I submit anything, I manage my expectations hard.And I've been a wee bit distracted.Things didn't click even when I noticed print sales for Controlled Descent later in the week. I shrugged, thought, "Cool, go, l'il book, go!" and returned my attention to the to-do lists made of other to-do lists full of post-moving purchases & real estate listing items that still need to be completed.It took until yesterday for the reality to belatedly hit me in a big, glittery gob of excitement.See, I got a Google Alert about a newspaper article (Chicago Daily Herald) mentioning the semi-finalists by name & book title. And there it was.So. Let me say this again, but WITH HAPPY DANCING AND EXCLAIMING IN SHOUTYCAPS, while throwing virtual celebration glitter all over the place:
CONTROLLED DESCENT IS A SEMI-FINALIST IN A STATEWIDE LIBRARY-RELATED CONTEST.
OMGOMGOMGOMG SOMEBODY LIKES MY BOOK! EVEN BETTER, LIBRARIANS LIKED MY BOOK!! MY NAME IS IN THE NEWSPAPER, EVEN!!!Here's the STBFIAP blog entry if you like your news straight from the source: 2019 semi-finalist listAs a bonus, have a couple of pics of today's minor New House project: putting up pretty window clings. (the major project is gas fireplace installation, but I'm not doing that. Well-trained, highly competent professionals (Oskar & Robert from Hearth & Home) are in charge of that project. Anyway. PICS!
Now 'scuse me, I gotta go check off a bunch of to-dos from yesterday. (I painted shutters, repaired a cabinet, and returned a cable modem, among other fun activities. If anyone wondered) ...and then have a cup of tea and put up more pretty window decorations. Because HOUSE.But I'll do a little more validation happy-dancing while I work.Until later!