The Golden Rose

I got an email from my agent the other day, saying, "Feel like entering a contest?"

When your agent suggests entering a contest, it's probably a pretty good idea to break out the ol' credit card.

So I've entered The Indian Princess into the Contemporary Series category of the Golden Rose contest, brought to you by the Rose City Romance Writers chapter of the RWA, based in Portland, Orgeon. The final judge for that category is Susan Litman, an editor at Harlequin.

If I win, in addition to having a Harlequin editor reading the first 50 pages of my book, I'll also get a "one-of-a-kind handcrafted rose pendant necklace" and a free membership to the Rose City chapter. When I told my husband I was entering, he said, "Do you get money?" I told him about the necklace, and I actually think he liked that better.

I haven't entered a contest in almost two years. The last contest I did enter was the Chicago-North RWA's Fire and Ice, where I took second place for Warrior, Lawyer--a book that died on the shelf shortly thereafter because no one actually liked it. This time, everyone--including my agent--likes The Indian Princess (now with a new and improved ending!).

In a few months, I'll be entering the Big One, the Golden Heart. The Golden Heart is the nationwide contest for unpublished romance authors. I skipped it last year, and pretty much spent the rest of the year kicking myself, especially since they just handed out the awards last Saturday.

The contest deadline for the Golden Rose is August 7th, if you're interested, with finalists announced on October 11th and winners announced on December 6th.

Wish me luck!