We’ve all heard someone say it, usually in connection with the Oscars … And if you’re like me, you probably snicker.
“It’s an honor just to be nominated?” Yeah. R-i-i-ght.
Well, I’m here to tell you, in the case of the RWA Golden Heart® award, it really is true.
I’m not just saying that because I didn’t come home with the little golden necklace around my neck. (I didn’t. The GH in my category, contemporary series, went to Jo Anne Banker. Click here for a full list of Golden Heart and Rita winners.)
But I started saying it long before the awards ceremony. It hit me while I sat at the Golden Network retreat on Tuesday. The conference hadn’t officially started yet, but as a GH finalist, I had the chance to attend a day of panel discussions with agents and editors — a chance offered only to current and former finalists.
Win or lose, we were part of an elite group. Not everyone gets to put the words Golden Heart Finalist beside the title of one of their works. Heck, very few do. And I’m one of them.
As my conference roommate, Karla Doyle, pointed out while I was lamenting the fact that I didn’t hand out all of my business cards with the “2011 GH finalist” notation on the back, I can still use them next year.
She’s right. Come what may, I’ll always be a 2011 Golden Heart finalist.
Doors are beginning to open, golden necklace or not. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
P.S. Look for updates on what I learned from the conference (including a few photos), in the next several days. I’m still catching up on sleep and trying to digest it all.
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It was an honor just to be nominated. It meant I was included in a wonderful group of friendly, helpful, awesome ladies!
Great post, Arlene. As I was watching the awards ceremony, I was struck by how many winners had finaled many times before finally getting that Golden Heart. It is an honor to be nominated, and one more step on the path to publication. It was so nice to meet you at Nationals. I look forward to following your future successes.
Very true! It’s like winning th NLCS: they can say you didn’t win the World Series, but you’ll always be the National League Champs, and that’s an accomplishment no one and nothing can take away! I’m hoping I can add “GH Finalist” to my credits next year, but even more than that, I’d like to have a “First Sale” ribbon on my name badge instead! I hope you get that ribbon soon, Arlene! We need more baseball heroes!! 🙂 I was once told there’s no market for it because women don’t follow baseball (or sports in general). Unwise words from someone who knows nothing about the game or the people who follow it. Makes me want to show her my fastball. 😉
Arlene, true words! I felt absolutely no disappointment at all when I didn’t win. Because just being a finalist was such an amazing experience and no one can ever take that title away from you. (I think I finally stopped waiting for the phone call telling me it was a mistake.)
I was actually surprised that I didn’t feel more disappointed. Sure, there was a little twinge when I didn’t hear my name announced … but I didn’t feel an overwhelming urge to break into sobs or anything.