I am thrilled to announce that two of my novels have placed in the 2017 William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. Dedicated to promoting unpublished works, the competition received a total of over 3000 entries in 8 categories.

In the Unpublished Novel category, which amassed 502 entries, my historical novel, CARRYING INDEPENDENCE (about the signing of the Declaration of Independence), was short-listed to the top 12, and secured the 2nd-place position as runner-up.

I also entered the contest’s Novel-in-Progress category, just one of the 313 entries. My women’s fiction novel, DECOYS, still in development and set on a fictional island off North Carolina in 1957, was selected as one of 76 finalists.

I believe a big thank you for this goes to James River Writers (JRW). Through my membership, the opportunity to learn about the craft and the publishing industry has been phenomenal, and I found a writing tribe. Kris Spisak, helped me edit both novels. Kristi Tuck Austin and Katharine Herndon, among many, many other JRW members, have encouraged me to keep writing and editing when I needed it most.

For more information on the contest, JRW, my literary agent, and the books I submitted, a formal press release is here.