Tuesday, May 12, 2015

HOLT, NRCA & Golden Quill Award Finals for The Promise of Rain!

The past few days have been thrilling! I just found out that The Promise of Rain, the first book in my 'From Kenya, with Love' series, is:

2014 National Reader's Choice Award double-finalist for the Best First Book and Contemporary Series categories



A 2015 Golden Quill Award finalist in the Sweet Traditional category


and...

A 2015 HOLT Medallion finalist for Best Book by a Virginia Author!


Whew! I'm still in shock. I found out about the HOLT final on Mother's Day, the NRCA finals the next day...which happened to be my deadline day for the third book in the series (working title: Beyond the Storm)...and the Golden Quill final today. Three days in a row and four finals. I'm overwhelmed and super grateful!!


Deadlines tend to be stressful and just days prior, on the full moon of course, my dogs got into a random fight that left one with a torn ear. It was bleeding like nobody's business (pouring out of her) and when I took her into our laundry room, she did the doggy head shake. The entire room looked like a murder scene as was hell to clean up. But all that mattered was making her better, so off to the vet ER it was and after sedation, stitches, wrapped head and a cone, she's finally better.

And today, I got six, day-old Black Copper Marans chicks! Sooo cute!

So, as you can see, I have lots to celebrate! I'll probably be back in the revision cave soon, but what better way to come out of a deadline cave!

Many thanks to readers everywhere who have been enjoying the series and giving it great reviews. I truly appreciate it!

And a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you incredible moms out there!

10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks!! After last year's challenges, I felt like, yay! My luck is turning around! :)

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  2. Congratulations, Rula! That's fantastic!

    Dog fights, not so much. I hope the injured one is okay. I hate when dogs fight. It gets so ugly, so fast.

    But hoo rah on the chicks. You're going to have to post pictures of them soon.

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    1. Thanks!

      Yeah, that fight got ugly fast. A good inch of ear torn right through. While she was in surgery, it took a good 1 1/2 hours to clean up the laundry room and change bloody clothes, then within 30 sec of bringing her home (this was after 11pm now), she shook her ear out of the bandage and blood was all over the floor again. That meant a second trip to the er, re-bandaging and finally, well after midnight, we were home again. Three days later with the dressing removed, it still wanted to ooze. It took a good week of healing (plus antibiotics).

      I'll definitely post chick pics soon! My group from March is outside now and running around with the older girls. Still a bit of adjusting going on. And I think the one I suspected is a cockerel, is...but no crowing yet. I think (just based on wing feathers and such) that two of the six BCM chicks are cockerels too. I'd love nice ones! We couldn't keep our last gorgeous rooster. He was like a hired hit-roo...out to kill me and any human in sight. I'm talking vicious, insane rooster...hand reared and everything!

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks, Carol!

      I seriously need to catch up on things. I miss visiting everyone's blogs and need to post a new one soon!

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  4. Wow. It must have been very rewarding experience to have all these recognition after the hardwork. Been dreaming to be a published author as well but just that I am too lazy to get going.

    Scott Porter (instagram marketing West Palm Beach)

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