Christina Suzann Nelson

A couple of weeks ago, I finished another first draft. That brings me to a total of three completed manuscripts. I wonder when I’ll get to this point and not feel lost for a few days.

So what’s next?

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

Yep, it’s back at the edits. I’ll be fixing all those little glitches, typos, and oops I-could-do-better spots. I’m also putting together a proposal for an agent and ordering new business cards.

The new cards will have one of my new headshots taken by Marci at MarciB Photography.

Here are a few I’m considering. What do you think?

Yesterday marked the 39th birthday for my husband, Jason. We did the traditional thing. I made his favorite dinner, or at least the dinner he requested and we ended our evening with cake. This year was a little different. I ordered the cake from Jillicious Desserts. Oh my! Orange Dream cake is a very yummy experience. Not the kind of experience that helps you lose a few pound, but more like the kind that’s worth throwing the diet out the window for an evening.

Here is a picture of Jason taken a couple weeks ago, when the Bacho family came over. He’s always looking for a little competition, and found it in jumping random objects in the backyard.

The finalist for the ACFW Genesis contest are notified between May 1 and May 15. I faithfully carried my cellphone, just in case this year was the year. Well, by May 13 I had begun to lose hope. Sitting at the computer, I heard by phone yelling numbers from my pocket. One of the kids has changed the settings so it reads off the incoming phone number instead of ringing like normal phones. The number it kept repeating was unfamiliar and out of state. I think my heart may have stopped beating for a moment. I managed to say hello, but when Erica said who she was, I burst into tears. Very professional, huh?

I’m a finalist in Contemporary Fiction and in Women’s Fiction! It’s been nearly a week now and I still can’t believe it happened.

So, this week is a high point in my writing life. Next week may come with rejection, but that’s just part of the game. Thanks for following me on my roller coaster ride.

If you’re an unpublished novelist, consider entering the Genesis next year.

Congratulations to everyone that entered!

• CONTEMPORARY FICTION

  1. Cindy Hays
  2. Lynnette P. Horner
  3. Chris Kraft
  4. Mark Lundgren
  5. Christina S. Nelson

• CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

  1. Jeannie Campbell
  2. Sarah Forgrave
  3. Janice LaQuiere
  4. Rebecca Syme
  5. Linda Yezak

• HISTORICAL FICTION

  1. Lori Benton
  2. Brenda Jackson
  3. Robert Kaku
  4. Lisa Karon Richardson
  5. Katie-Marie Stout

• HISTORICAL ROMANCE

  1. Susanne Dietze
  2. Anne Greene
  3. Pam Hillman
  4. Lisa Karon Richardson
  5. Ruth Trippy

• MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER

  1. Rich Bullock
  2. Barbara Early (double finalist with two entries)
  3. Lynda Schab
  4. Chawna Schroeder

• ROMANTIC SUSPENSE (there was a two-way tie for the fifth finalist slot)

  1. Valerie Goree
  2. Mindy Obenhaus
  3. Leslie Pfeil
  4. Dianna Shuford
  5. Teri Dawn Smith
  6. Terri Weldon

• SPECULATIVE FICTION

  1. Ben Erlichman
  2. Suzanne Krein
  3. Shelley Ledfors
  4. Andra Marquardt
  5. Holly Smit

• WOMEN’S FICTION (there was a three-way tie for the fifth finalist slot)

  1. Lisa Buffaloe
  2. Jennifer Fromke
  3. Terri Haynes
  4. Fay Lamb
  5. Christina S. Nelson
  6. Melissa Tagg
  7. Michelle Ule

• YOUNG ADULT

  1. Angela Bell
  2. Lin Harris
  3. Kasey Heinly
  4. LoraLee Kodzo
  5. Stefanie Morris