Here I am accepting my WILLA finalist award from Jacque Boyd at the Women Writing the West Conference in San Antonio, Texas . . . and then I proceed to accept the award. It was a magic moment in which I felt transported to another time and place. This could not possibly be me up in front of all these talented women. A good friend helped me with an acceptance speech because I had absolutely no idea what to say. Her suggestion of a quote from Ayn Rand was inspired. I shall never forget either this day or the outpouring of sincere congratulations from all the writers in this group and those “back home.”

Hubby took these photos against an impossible photo op of brightly lit windows.

Here’s the quote:

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours. ~Ayn Rand, Russian-born American Author.