Award Winning!
By Bethany Maines
This year has been an unusual one for me. I set out with the intention of pushing
myself into uncomfortable and new areas in my writing. As a result, I’ve submitted short stories to
publications, submitted my work to contests, and tried out different genres and
formats. As I expected, there have been
rejections and a few “not quites”. But I
have been surprised to see that several of my gambles have paid off.
myself into uncomfortable and new areas in my writing. As a result, I’ve submitted short stories to
publications, submitted my work to contests, and tried out different genres and
formats. As I expected, there have been
rejections and a few “not quites”. But I
have been surprised to see that several of my gambles have paid off.
I’ve had a short story published, taken a screen-writing class
and subsequently won an award for my screenplay, ventured out to read my work
in public and had it featured on the radio.
My most recent success came from the Book Excellence Awards where mynovella The Seventh Swan, a sci-fairy tale, was a Finalist in the Adventurecategory. I must confess that this award makes me happier than it probably
ought to. My story features alligator-men,
robots, nanites, an evil queen, and of course, true love – it’s a throw-back to
the Flash Gordon, Tarzan-type adventure tale that I’ve always loved and I
thought that it was probably a bit too weird to win. So to see that someone else thinks it’s a gem
is very encouraging.
and subsequently won an award for my screenplay, ventured out to read my work
in public and had it featured on the radio.
My most recent success came from the Book Excellence Awards where mynovella The Seventh Swan, a sci-fairy tale, was a Finalist in the Adventurecategory. I must confess that this award makes me happier than it probably
ought to. My story features alligator-men,
robots, nanites, an evil queen, and of course, true love – it’s a throw-back to
the Flash Gordon, Tarzan-type adventure tale that I’ve always loved and I
thought that it was probably a bit too weird to win. So to see that someone else thinks it’s a gem
is very encouraging.
But, while winning awards is nice, it’s not my goal. The majority of the places I’ve submitted to
came with the promise of feedback. My
goal was to learn from the responses I got to help my writing become stronger.
No one really likes hearing that something isn’t working, but it has been
really helpful to hear the commentary and discover what exactly people are
responding to. And of course, I can now say that I’m an award-winning author
and who doesn’t like that?
came with the promise of feedback. My
goal was to learn from the responses I got to help my writing become stronger.
No one really likes hearing that something isn’t working, but it has been
really helpful to hear the commentary and discover what exactly people are
responding to. And of course, I can now say that I’m an award-winning author
and who doesn’t like that?
**
Bethany Maines
is the author
of the Carrie Mae Mystery Series, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her fifth degree black belt in karate, she can be found
chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.
is the author
of the Carrie Mae Mystery Series, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her fifth degree black belt in karate, she can be found
chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.