Cartwheels and Gratitude, a Weekend with my Writing Family

It has taken me more than 24 hours to get to this blog post. I can't believe it has taken this long, but it has. There was all the unpacking and showing off the things I brought home to my family. Hugging my kids. Feeding them some comfort food because I came home to a place where 3 of the 4 beings in my house seemed to be a touch under the weather. Sorting the stuff I had dumped on the table because there are some people in my home who seem to think the kitchen table is not meant to hold the copious amounts of stuff I tend to spread out on it. And then there was sleeping... in my own bed... with my own pillows... because I was very, very tired after three fun-filled days at the State Writing Conference and Convention.

The weekend was fun and informative, and I spent quite a bit of it riding high on adrenaline. Since I still haven't come up with an appropriate (or smooth) way to announce it, I'll just come right out and say it.

I WON THE BEST BOOK AWARD!!! 

ME! MY BOOK! 

TIGER HUNTING!!!

I know, that's excessive use of the exclamation mark and I should apologize for yelling it in all caps, but... HOLEY MOLEY! I WON!!! 

                   cartwheel   

                               cartwheel    

                                           cartwheel    

                                                      cartwheel 

                                                                   .....yipee!

Breathing now.

Here's an image. Proof!

William Karnowski, VP, Kansas Authors Club, presents Tracy Million Simmons (that's me!) with the Coffin Memorial Book Award for my first novel, Tiger Hunting. The Coffin award is intended to honor the best published book (excluding history and poetry, which have their own awards) written by a member of the Kansas Authors Club and published in the two years prior to the award date. (Thanks to Carol Yoho for the photo.) 

But seriously... breathing peace and filling with inner calm now. If this doesn't shut up that nasty little critic in my head, nothing will.

I plan to write more about the convention, but had to get this out of the way first. I am basking in the afterglow of a wonderful weekend with my writing family. Now looking forward to another night in my own bed. I'm not quite caught up on my sleep yet.