ACFW: Awards Night–Genesis Results!

This is a picture I took of the mirrored ceiling in the elevator. Probably about 10 good-smelling, fancy ladies in there. And one guy. 🙂

Here are Mom and I in our resale shop gowns. May I draw your attention away from our gorgeous faces/figures and to my left hand? What’s that I’m carrying? Oh yes, this is the new trend I’m starting. Next time you watch the Oscars, look for it.

A clutch is SO expensive and used once or twice a year, if it even matches the dress. I found a solution at the dollar store. A $0.33 gift bag. Large enough to hold my room key, some business cards, chap stick, lipstick, and my camera. I tell you, it’s going to be all the rage!

A closer shot.

At the banquet with our BFF, Kim Moore from Harvest House. She had promised to hold my hand when my category came up and she always keeps her promises.

When I scooted over for this picture, I felt the back of my dress give! Mom helped me out into the lobby where we secured it with a safety pin. I’m not sure ACFW has ever seen a wardrobe malfunction and I didn’t want to be the first!

The absolutely weirdest thing is that when I took the dress off to go to bed, there wasn’t any problem with the stitching in the back. Whatever. Probably just a stunt to get more attention. Speaking of …

That’s Brandilyn Collins smiling at the far left of the shot as Pamela James helps me down a step. Hey, what’s so funny? Oh, yeah, I went up the wrong steps when they called my name and ended up on the higher stage. Really, I just did it to get more time in the spotlight, but we don’t have to let everyone in on it. 😉

Second place in the Contemporary Genesis category!! I was thrilled. And thrilled I was thrilled. Maybe no one else works this way, but I was worried that I would have to act happy if I didn’t get first. I mean, what if all I felt was disappointment? I didn’t expect to win, but I had daydreamed about it. Thankfully, second place felt like a huge gift and I was able to sleep that night, a feat that might have been more difficult with a first place finish.

Most of all, I wanted to give my acceptance speech. Really. Truly.

In fact, I wanted so badly to give my speech that I forced Susan Meissner and Mom to listen to it after the ceremony was over. I had kept my note card to give you a verbatim rendition, but since I’ve taken so long to blog this, I seem to have misplaced it.

Here’s the gist: I thanked the judges for putting me in that position and for giving me a chance to wear my gown. Usually I just wear it at home when I’m writing. Also, thanks to all my ACFW mentors like Camy Tang, Deborah Raney, Jim Bell, Randy Ingermanson, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, and the ones I’m sure I forgot.

Thanks to God for restoring my marriage and letting me use the lessons learned on forgiveness to form the foundation of the book. And finally, thanks to my mother. She taught me how to read when I was four, fed me a steady diet of classics–like Erma Bombeck–from then on, gave me my first writing craft book, and penned the first words of our joint writing journey. She’s my co-writer, my encourager, and my best friend. Mom, I love you.

Wouldn’t have been a dry eye in the house!

Afterward, Winter Peck came to congratulate me. We’d “met” through Donna Fleisher and enjoyed getting to see each other in person.

Below, since Blogger will not let me put a space between the next two pictures, is us glowing with Deb Raney. Last year, Deb had critiqued the first chapters of Undiscovered and asked if I’d entered it in the Genesis. Thanks, Deb, for your encouragement!

I’m flanked by Sandra Bishop, new agent-extraordinaire, and THE Chip MacGregor, who was one of the two final judges in my category. I know he looks unhappy. I told myself at first that this is because he was so upset that I didn’t win first place.

Until I got my score sheets back the next week. Thank You, Lord, that I managed to place second!

Jenness Walker, another friend I met through Donna, WON her category!

I was in fine company. Top top is Dan Case, the first place winner in my category. Just above, Jim Rubart, the third place winner. Funny. Out of the five finalists, he’s the only one with a contract. For now, at least.

By the time the evening concluded, it was almost eleven. Mom and I were exhausted. In the hotel room, I got into my jammies and called my husband with the good news. Suddenly I realized there weren’t any pictures of the back of my gown. So I put it back on and had Mom snap some in the hall. First, my hair, which I did myself in about 20 minutes.

Ah, the gown can speak for itself.