One way for a writer to gain recognition is to enter writer contests. My view is that the more notable contests charge a fee which is how they fund the prizes.  In my experience fees range from $25-$200.  There are free contests and you can get guidebooks on the variety of free contests.  I question whether the time needed to enter a slew of free contests is worth it.

I decided that 2019 would be my year to enter writing contests.  To date, I have entered six and will add one more.  I submitted my third novel – Dead Reckoning  to:  Eric Hoffer Award, American Book Fest, Wisco Council, National Book Award, Chicago Writers Association, Reader‘s Favorite and my publisher will submit to the Midwest Independent Publishers Award when it opens.

I have never won an award.  It may be a numbers game, maybe I need to submit to 50 contests.  So far I’ve spent $XX for zero return.  I feel like my money is sucked into a literary blackhole never to be seen again.
The Readers Favorite did send me comments from three judges and a graphic artist who reviewed the book cover.  All three judges gave me 8 or 9 out of ten for the writing.  However, each judge had some other problem.  I submitted the book in the historical fiction category and one judge would not accept that.  The judge thought political fiction would be a better genre.  A second judge thought the book cover lead to expect a nautical theme.  The judge did not understand how I used “dead reckon- ing” as a theme.  The judge didn’t know the definition of dead reckoning.  I guess that judge doesn’t have Google.  On page 256 I write:

1. “Yes, dead reckoning, was an old nautical term that navigators used to describe how to calculate their correct position by knowing where they had been.  But for me, it was much more.  This evening I watched my past unfold in front of me, and I understood how I came to this point in my life and where I needed to go.  The stage play was my dead reckoning and my compass home.”

Could I have been more clear?  I’m convinced the judge making such a comment did not read until “The End”.  The comment is simply ignorant.
The third judge noticed a misspelling in the back of the book blurb.  An unfortunate error but it happens. 
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Of course, had I achieved some success in one of these contests my view would be radically different – I’m only human after all. 
 

I have written previously that my inspiration for writing a novel on Pack Horse Librarians in Eastern Kentucky during the Depression came from a story I heard on NPR.  The story to overcome the harshness of the Depression and isolation in Eastern Kentucky is compelling and tugs at the heart.

A writer and dear friend dear friend let me know months ago that Joyo Moyes would publish a book on the pack horse librarian project to be released this October.  Her book- The Giver of Stars - is out and it has brought instant scandal and a potential fight for copyright.  Kim Michele Richardson published The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek in May 2019.

A review of the plot for each book finds that they are distinct.  The problem is that there a several passages in the Moyes book that are similar in words, scene and sentence structure from Richardson’s book.

My concern isn’t one of copyright.  My concern is – does the world want or need a third book (mine) about a pack horse librarian in Eastern Kentucky in 1934?  I consulted with several author friends and my two long time mentors.  I sketched my plot for them and they found mine distinct from both Moyes and Richardson.

When I had my eureka moment following the NPR story I was certain that the topic and setting would be unique.  That bubble is shattered.
So – should I trudge on with my manuscript on the story of Rowan Daly or abandon it because I’ve been beaten to the punch?

Everyone I have asked for advice and direction have encouraged me to carry-on.  My story is one of human struggle during the  Depression and being a single woman in a male dominated world.  It is a story of how, through education, a person can overcome any obstacle society can throw in front of them.  It is a story of leaving a legacy from a life of dedication and purpose to a single vision.  
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I need to get back to my manuscript . . .
 

What’s in a Name?
 
To be authentic in writing I believe it is important that character names reflect the location of the novel.  For the Irish Trouble Series I researched names for various areas of Ireland.  For example, Murphy is the most common Irish surname and the are located in south east Ireland, around Cork.  This was the reason my protagonist, Ian Murphy, grew up in Cork and lived there as  an adult.

My fourth novel takes place in Pike County, Kentucky, the most eastern county in the state.  Through Google I found a listing of surnames in Eastern Kentucky.  I was surprised to discover many Irish surnames.  I then studied the history of Pike County and learned that many Irish initially immigrated to the east coast of the United States – New York and Boston and then moved again to eastern Kentucky to work in the coal mines.  The population was not large enough to supply workers when the mines were busy so they advertised for workers.
I wanted the protagonist to have a strong name and it took me a long time to decide to write about another Irish character.  My first choice for a name was not at all Irish – I chose ‘Dawson’ but didn’t have a good reason because it was not on the list of Pike County names.  It took me about two months to decide to give the protagonist an Irish name.  I wanted it to be a common name but not too Irish like Doherty or O’Connel.  I chose Daly. 
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Selecting a first name was even more work.  I’ll spare you the details of my process but I chose Rowan – Rowan Daly is the 19 year old protagonist in my novel with the current title of -  The Mostly True Story of Rowan Daly – Pike County Pack Horse Librarian. 

​The last blog I posted was on March 27th.  What have I been doing?  Sold the country house in 1 day.  Moved out in 30 days to live in an 800 square foot apartment while our brand-new downsized house was being built.  Moved a lot of stuff into storage.  Move as little as possible to the apartment.  Lived without the stuff in storage for 5 ½ months and wondered why we needed it at all.
Moved into our downsized dreamhouse on September 3rd.  Had all the stuff in storage delivered to the house and stored in the basement on September 18th.  Sorted through all the stuff in the basement by September 25th making many trips to St. Vinny’s and recycling a ton of cardboard.  Bought new bedroom furniture for the master bedroom and all new living room furniture.
Then there is the artwork.  In our former 3000 square foot house we had a lot of art on the walls.  For years my guiding principle has been I must shake the hand of the artist to have it in my home.  I was successful.  Too successful with 26 pieces to hang.  I could use a curator.
During my absence folks continued to visit my website – an average of 2105 visits a month and an average of 80 visits per day.  The number of visits did decline as the months passed from a high of 2413 in April to 1891 in September.  I am surprised by the number of visits without posting.
In those six months I didn’t write a word – not a single one.  It was odd.  My life was so consumed by the move and building that I didn’t miss writing.  That is terrible to admit but true.
We did take a week trip to eastern Kentucky to research my next novel about pack horse librarians.  My publicist and dear friend Valerie Biel learned that Elizabeth Gilbert is coming out with a book on pack horse librarians this fall, scheduled for the holidays I’m sure.  I consulted with my writing friends and we agreed that unless I was writing a romance I should stick to my guns and write my novel.  No problem there.
To kick start my writing I’m attending an intense “weekender” the last weekend of October.  I have changed the name of the protagonist and made her Irish, I couldn’t help myself.  I learned in my visit to eastern Kentucky that the Irish are prominent there.  I also completely re-wrote the first chapter to scratch out backstory, add action and detail.  We’ll see how it goes at the end of the month.
During my hiatus I did ask myself – why do you write.  I write because the cosmos expresses creativity through me.  I believe the universe is conscious because I am conscious and sentient.