An "EPIC" Announcement

First, let me assure you when I wrote "Family Tradition," I never thought it'd get published. Who'd want to read a twisted little story about an artist painting a model with no face?

When a fellow author asked for feedback on a manuscript she planned to enter in a contest, I offered to exchange critiques, and sent her "Family Tradition." I thought she'd say, "This is crap." That would confirm my suspicions, and the story would die a quick, painless death.

She liked it.

It took some head scratching, but finally I realized maybe I had something. I submitted the story to MuseItUp Publishing, and had editors tell me they loved the story. And four Amazon reviewers raved about it. Apparently, they knew something I didn't.

I decided to put "Family Tradition" to the ultimate test, and entered it in EPIC's EBook Awards competition. Since this was a blind judging, I'd no idea who was reading my entry or if I'd advance to the next round.

Fingers crossed, I waited to hear who the finalists were. The announcement was supposed to come in early October, and I'm not too proud to say I was nervous. I prepared myself for the worst. Was it worth getting my hopes up, only to see them dashed?

A few days ago, I received my answer. "Family Tradition" was a finalist in its category. I got a badge and certificate.

The irony is now I have to wait to see if the short story wins. But I won't know anything until March. Nevertheless, it's a pretty good feeling being able to say I'm a finalist.

Now to get my short script ready for another contest.

For more information on "Family Tradition," click here.
Finalists can be found on the EPIC site