LADY OF BASILIKAS EARNS
DOUBLE HONORABLE MENTION
“Close, but no cigar.”
“Almost, but not quite.”
“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand gren@des.”
The sentiment of those phrases nearly kept me from posting about this. Too, I did not want to detract from the winner (Congrats, Cathy McCrumb—thrilled for you, friend!!). However, the past year has been (as a dear friend said to me yesterday) “crushingly hard” for my family. We’ve been living in the Shadow of Almost for eighteen months, a season where we get close but never quite meet success. So, this weekend //could// have been discouraging. But it was not!
On the contrary, I’m celebrating!! God has been GOOD. I’ve seen Him in the little things. Has He answered our most pressing prayer requests? To answer that, I first consider Psalm 116:1 – “I love the Lord, because he heard my voice. He heard my cry for his help.” So, while we have not yet seen the proof of those prayers being answered, I know He’s got it worked out . . . His word also states, “The LORD is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged. (Deu 31:8) So, I’m excited to see what He has lined up!
This is also why I’m //celebrating// that LADY OF BASILIKAS received “Most Honorable Mention” (1st runner up) not only in Science Fiction category of the Realm Awards but it also (somehow) snuck into Book of the Year category, curated from the overall top five scores, and earned another Honorable Mention!
HOLY WHAT?? I was CONVINCED the contest had made a mistake by having LADY as a finalist, that they were showing the wrong screen. But then I noticed my writing hero and dear friend Kathy Tyers, sitting next to me and grinning like a banshee because LADY /had/ made it into the Book of the Year category! THAT made this “almost” a complete and utter “win” for me, getting to share the moment with my husband (dressed as Captain Malcolm Reynolds) and the inimitable Kathy Tyers. I will NEVER forget that night!! And I am savoring how far this little book (that almost wasn’t) made it! And how epically cool is it that Science Fiction (both from Enclave Publishing!!) took the top two spots in overall contest?????
Are you battling a lot of ALMOSTS, too? Let’s pray for each other!