Good Sunday Morning,

I’m super excited. Last night at the 19th Annual Florida Writers Conference, I won Gold in the Young Adult category for my novel, No Parents Allowed published by Taylor and Seale, LLC.

For me, the win proves the importance of believing in myself. I first submitted this book more than five years ago. The judges gave me what I thought were scathing reviews. I cried. I knew the book had merit and needed to be in the hands of high school students, parents, and grandparents. 

I wrote three more books before returning to No Parents Allowed with more critical eyes. Sometimes, we must step away from a book before revising. After rereading my manuscript, it was clear huge chunks of it had to be deleted. As the judges indicated, there were too many characters. I rewrote the book and sent it to my copy editor, Beth Mansbridge. She helped me make my manuscript shine. 

If you didn’t win this year, pay attention to the judge’s comments. Rework your book and submit again. 

Thank you for visiting my blog.