HOLY CRAP I WON AN AWARD!!!!

BEHIND THE ENCHANTED DOOR won an Ecataromance Reviewers’ Choice Award.

I’m still in shock. I’ve never won an award for ANYTHING. Ever. I’ve always been the B student and the second or third place athlete. The closest thing to an award I’ve ever received has been a publishing contract, which trust me was also a huge shock and a joy.

DOOR was a very special book to me. Besides having to do with fairies, which I love love love, it was a book that I fell in love with instantly. I agonized over every comment from my cp and editor. I cried when I got the cover and it wasn’t what I had in mind. I fretted when it went out to reviewers. This was like my baby going to school for the first time and I was terrified people wouldn’t like it as much as I did.

This award means that I wasn’t completely insane (notice I say completely) and that it was a good book. Maybe I shouldn’t need to have that sort of reassurance, but I do. I freely admit when it comes to my writing I’m hopelessly insecure.

My friends will tell you that’s no lie. I drove them all CRAZY while writing this. Emailing them chapters with neurotic pleas for opinions. I was a mess.

So, in Grammy Awards fashion, I’d like to thank some people:

For talking me off the ledge without throwing me over it when I was a lunatic:
Lori Armstrong
Leigh Wyndfield
Jewell Mason
Kathy Love
Kate Rothwell
Kris Starr

Cheyenne McCray for giving me a book quote. By God I hope this sucker goes to print so I can use it!

Dorine Linnen and Angie Waters for promoting it and letting others know about it. Thanks for letting me avoid the ever hated promotion.

Briana St. James, editor to the neurotic

Titania Ladley,who critiqued the first part and let me know where I was going wrong without pushing me off the ledge

And as always, my family for giving me the space to write this book, eating fishsticks and tater tots for supper, and watching A LOT of Disney movies.

I’m sure there are more folks that I should thank, but my caffeine-deprived mind can’t think of them all right now.

Thank you my friends and thank you ecataromance for giving me a most precious gift.

Okay, this is seriously frustrating. I’m uploading pictures to blogger but they aren’t showing up in my blog. This is rather annoying because I just got my hair cut. BIG TIME. I took ten inches off and will be mailing them into Locks of Love next week.

I got the idea from my sister who did it, and I decided as soon as the RWA conference was over I was going to do it. I now have hair above my shoulders for the first time in twenty years.

IT FEELS GREAT! I know part of it is because I had someone fussing over me for hours so I feel pampered and pretty, but part of it is also because I feel like I’m doing some good for someone else. My hair will grow back. And you know what? I might just cut it again when it gets long enough.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
Ari

p.s. I tried to get the pictures to work again and they didn’t show. If you really want to see them, I’ve uploaded them into the photos section of my yahoo group. Friendsofari

If you’re not a member, you can join by sending a blank email to the link on my website
http://www.ariannahart.com You can join special notices so you won’t have to hear me natter on and on when something cool happens, but by joining you get to hear all the good dirt first. . .
AH