Top Twenty with a Bullet

My friend Chuck Greaves is doing a signing at Bookworks on Monday night. Chuck won the Southwest Writers contest's Storyteller award a few years ago and has parlayed that onto the best seller list. Well, I just made the top twenty in two categories of the same contest. Could the same thing happen to me?

The blog that you are reading at this very moment was entered into the best non-fiction book proposal category as "Rattlesnake Blogger." If you go back to the first few dozen entries, you can read what I entered. I also had to put in my marketing plans, along with a query letter. I also had to include a chapter list. I had to anticipate the subsequent chapters of the book. I predicted that I would place, but not necessarily win and then I would have to make a decision on whether to publish this book on my own or submit it to a publisher.


To be honest, I had expected this blog to do well. I've won the non-fiction book proposal category before and took second last year. I was pleasantly surprised that my entry in the action/adventure category "Lawyer 2112" made the top twenty. Isn't that a science fiction book, you ask? Yes, and there was no science fiction novel category this year. I'm competing against mysteries and westerns and cop dramas. I am not optimistic that I will even place.

Assuming that neither entry places, I will be back at the computer the next day. I've used the metaphor of the computer as a slot machine. One even uses the same muscles on both If I didn't win today, perhaps I will win tomorrow or the next day.  . .

So if I do win an award, then what? I'm not sure.  I do have a book project with Southwest Writers coming out for the Holidays. I might try to publish Rattlesnake Blogger at that time. My existing publisher owns the rights to Lawyer 2112, so that might be moved up.

In any event, I will talk to Chuck tomorrow at Bookworks and get some advice from him. I hope I do have that problem.