News

Taming Her Irish Warrior Becomes a Rita Finalist

Today I got the shock of my life. My book, Taming Her Irish Warrior, made the Rita finals. I can’t even tell you how much this rocked my world.

I knew the phone calls were going out today, but I couldn’t stand the pressure. Instead, I chose to leave the house and go to get my car fixed at the dealership. If I were at home, I’d start obsessing over it, and get no writing done, and well…I’ve never finaled in a romance contest in my life. No local contests, no Golden Heart…I never even got to be a bridesmaid in a contest, let alone a bride.

So, I’d pretty much decided that, even though I’d entered two books, the chances of making the finals were pretty much done for. Even so, I used the free wireless at the dealership and worked on my novella, thinking, well, it’s not going to happen, so just get over it and get some work done. The names of finalists started rolling in, and as I saw more and more historical authors listed, I thought–great! I’ll have to try those books. But it’ll never be me.

Then, a close friend of mine, Larissa Ione, e-mailed me with a huge congratulations. She didn’t even tell me why, just wrote in all caps: I KNEW IT! My hands started shaking, and it was a miracle I even managed to type the web address of RWA to see who the latest finalists were. When I saw my name up there, I wanted to start bawling in the dealership. Do you KNOW how hard it was to keep those emotions bottled up? I wanted to scream to everyone there– “Oh, my gosh, I’m a Rita finalist!!! Can you believe it!???”

So I e-mailed my editor and agent in all caps, and I’m not even sure what I typed. Maybe something like Glbwerioug aweroiu OMG werpwoij RITA FINALIST werawoe;j. I don’t know. But there were four messages on my phone when I got home–2 from the RWA Board and 2 from the person trying to contact me, confirming that yes, my wildest dream had indeed come true.

There are many, many talented authors out there. I feel humbled and honored, because never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think something like this could happen. Today was so incredibly special to me, and regardless of the outcome of the Ritas, I feel like I’ve already won something. Being able to share my joy with such good friends makes it even nicer.

It’s been a very good day. Those of you who come to the RWA National Conference in Nashville this July will see a big smile on my face. I think, out of all of my MacEgan books, Ewan’s book holds a special place for me because I always loved him as a character. Having that hero earn a Rita nomination is just amazing.

In other news, I’ve found out that I have two more stories coming out. This June, look for Innocent in the Harem a novella from Harlequin Historical Undone! that’s set in 16th century Turkey in, well…a harem. And then in September, my last MacEgan Brothers book, Surrender to an Irish Warrior (Trahern’s book) will be published. Lots of things to celebrate!!