The Grand Prize Winner!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a chapter of my memoir was selected as a finalist for an award in the non-fiction category of the Pen 2 Paper Writing Contest. Entries came from fifteen states and five foreign countries. Last night we attended the Lion and Pirate Open Mic at Malvern Books, where they announced the winners in each category and the grand prize winner.

My entry did not win first prize for non-fiction... it won the overall Grand Prize!

I'm grateful and humbled. Thank you, Pen 2 Paper.

They asked me to read my entry. Feedback from the audience:

"Your turn of phrase drew me in and kept my attention... and that's hard to do."

"It was so raw, so honest... you talked about it [your experience with disability] without sugar coating. You just tell it like it is. Very refreshing."

"Thank you. Thank you for talking about this way of life with such honesty and love."

Link to my entry: http://www.txdisabilities.org/public/upload/files/general/NF_Borden.pdf

The success with my non-fiction has inspired me to enter a fiction contest with a young adult, fantasy novel I recently wrote. I read chapters to Ruby as I completed them. She gave me wonderful, youthful feedback. She drew this amazing illustration:

Drawing of a red dragon blowing fire (c) 2015 by Ruby Borden
Red Dragon by Ruby Borden


The Faeries of Avonmora: Curse of the Dragon Lord.

When a dragon mysteriously reappears after five hundred years of hibernation, two teen-aged faeries find themselves in the middle of a deadly struggle between old enemies and the only ones who can lift an ancient curse.

I submitted the story to "The Lucky Agent" contest. 

Link to the contest: http://tinyurl.com/nz6n2p8

Wish me luck! If you want to read more about my journey back into the art world, which I've dubbed, "Year of the Phoenix," click on the rising phoenix below.


Year of the Phoenix

#writing #fairytale #faery #YAfiction #yearofthephoenix


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    1. Thank you. I've gotten wonderful feedback from so many people. I've heard that the judges of the contest really liked my prose as well as the way I handled the subject matter. Now, I've got to convince an agent or publisher to believe in the project as much as everyone else.

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