2019 - THE YEAR OF ALL YEARS!

I can't account for other people, but I am one who is grateful for every year of my life, and the majority of them have been good ones.  Fortunately, I pursued my passion for writing, never limiting myself, and I have been richly rewarded. I've done it all, books, plays, TV scripts, articles.  You name it, I've tried it.  As we come to the end of 2019, I look back and recognize that this year has been one of the most creatively rewarding that I've ever had.  Financial rewards are always welcomed, but when one is an artist and receives recognition for ones art that's a feeling that is difficult to describe.  The word elation is the only one I can think of at the moment.

The year 2019 opened with my Two Act play, The Diary of Annie Mae Franklin, winning a national playwriting contest, The American Theatre's 21st Century Voices New Play Festival.  I spent a weekend in January in St. Petersburg, Florida where a staged reading of the play was presented, and it received an excellent reception.  The next few months saw the re-release of one my romantic suspense novels, Singing a Song, and the writing of the third book in my Stillwaters Series, Someone Like Them (which it seems like I've been working on forever).  I acquired a drama agent in the fall, presenting me with the opportunity to have my plays presented in more theatres, and a shot at having my work acquired for TV--one of my major goals. 

I attended severalwriting workshops.  My writing partner and I won scholarships to attend an artist conference.  We gave presentations on writing to two college classes, and a visit with one my favorite book clubs was quite a treat. To top it off at the end of this year I won a second national playwriting contest! My One Act Play, 1200 Miles from Jerome, won the 2020 Women Playwrights Initiative, sponsored by the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut.  I'm looking forward to that staged reading.   

Recently, the year was further topped off with my having been presented with a Creative Arts Fellowship by the Indiana Arts Council.  What an honor it is to be recognized and appreciated for my art.  With this fellowship I can travel to anywhere in the world I want.  I'm still tingling from the excitement.  

Yes, 2019 was quite a year!  I can't wait until 2020.