My knees had bucked; not really that short. I entered Saints & Sinners in the Public Service Writers Association (PSWA) international writing competition in the category "Fiction Book, Published." I'm not sure how many books were entered. But I figured maybe a dozen or two would be entered in the competition, and the rules stated that they award first, second, and third place, plus if there were other high quality entries one or more Honorable Mentions. I was shooting for an Honorable Mention, so was disheartened when I received the acknowledgement of my entry as number 38, lessening the likelihood of my winning anything.
The PSWA conference was amazing. There were presentations, lectures, and panel discussions on subjects as diverse as forensics, writing tips, arson investigation, undetectable poisons, what the NCIS and related services really do, and I served on a panel on writing a series. So the formal content was terrific; but the informal discussions with other attendees were amazing. Many have published a dozen or more books and most of the authors have years of experience in police work, firefighting, emergency services, crime reporting, intelligence work, crime scene investigation, forensic medicine, or other related professions. I soon realized that the works I was up against in the writing competition were of a much higher quality than I had anticipated, and I accepted that I didn't have much chance of winning an Honorable Mention unless they were giving a whole bunch of them.
On the last day, the closing dinner/awards ceremony was held. Lois and I sat at a table that included the FBI Agent responsible for initially identifying Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh, a Police helicopter pilot who was a sole survivor of a horrific accident in which he was burned over eighty percent of his body, and a Chicago Fire Captain. The dinner was delicious and soon the lovely Michelle Perin opened the award presentation. As they got to Fiction Book, Published, she announced only one honorable mention and it wasn't me, so acceptance came that I had shot for a lofty goal but missed. I was happy for those who won awards, because I now knew most of them and was just happy to be associated with them. I applauded with sincerity for the winners until for second place she called "Saints & Sinners by Virgil Alexander." I was stunned and almost fell out of my chair. Fortunately they didn't allow acceptance speeches so I managed to get my certificate and get back to my chair without making much of a fool of myself. I am now officially an AWARD WINNING AUTHOR! You can tell by the little seal at the top of my web page...
The PSWA conference was amazing. There were presentations, lectures, and panel discussions on subjects as diverse as forensics, writing tips, arson investigation, undetectable poisons, what the NCIS and related services really do, and I served on a panel on writing a series. So the formal content was terrific; but the informal discussions with other attendees were amazing. Many have published a dozen or more books and most of the authors have years of experience in police work, firefighting, emergency services, crime reporting, intelligence work, crime scene investigation, forensic medicine, or other related professions. I soon realized that the works I was up against in the writing competition were of a much higher quality than I had anticipated, and I accepted that I didn't have much chance of winning an Honorable Mention unless they were giving a whole bunch of them.
On the last day, the closing dinner/awards ceremony was held. Lois and I sat at a table that included the FBI Agent responsible for initially identifying Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh, a Police helicopter pilot who was a sole survivor of a horrific accident in which he was burned over eighty percent of his body, and a Chicago Fire Captain. The dinner was delicious and soon the lovely Michelle Perin opened the award presentation. As they got to Fiction Book, Published, she announced only one honorable mention and it wasn't me, so acceptance came that I had shot for a lofty goal but missed. I was happy for those who won awards, because I now knew most of them and was just happy to be associated with them. I applauded with sincerity for the winners until for second place she called "Saints & Sinners by Virgil Alexander." I was stunned and almost fell out of my chair. Fortunately they didn't allow acceptance speeches so I managed to get my certificate and get back to my chair without making much of a fool of myself. I am now officially an AWARD WINNING AUTHOR! You can tell by the little seal at the top of my web page...
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