You know how folk have a check list in life? Things they want to do? Well I have a writing one – unsurprisingly – and it goes a bit like this:

• Write a novel
• Publish novel
• Find an agent
• Find a publisher
• Get published by publisher
• Write and be paid for an article (online or magazine)
• Win a prize for something writing related
• Get short-listed in a competition
• Win a writing competition

Well . . . most of those have check marks beside them (baring ‘find an agent’, which I don’t think I’ll be doing any more) and today I can add another.

Win a writing competition. CHECK!

Yesterday when Writer’s Forum came through the post I was in the middle of Ileandra’s editing. I just thought I’d flick through – as I do – and see what was worth settling in to read properly later. I only skimmed the flash fiction section with half a mind that I’d entered that competition this time around.

Skim, skim, eye-flicker, pause. I know that title. It’s the same as mine. Eye flicker. No, hang on, that is mine. My title- that’s my story. Fuck, that’s my story! I won? I won! IwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwonIwon!

Cue screaming. Leaping around the study. Shaking the magazine around and sobbing (yes, sobbing). One frantic tweet. A blubbering, giggling, shrieking phone call to the other half. A flash of understanding that a £100 cheque is going to pop through my front door any day now (!!!).

Y’know that problem I had about buying more ISBNs? That’s gone! That cheque is going straight into the business bank account to finance the next 10 ISBNs (which I will use more sensibly this time around). Paperback versions of the Slippers & Chains series? No problem. New cover art for ‘Sugar Dust?’ Hell yes! The drive to keep writing, keep submitting and win more competitions? Just try to stop me! 😉

And if that isn’t good enough, on Saturday I made my first face-to-face sale (despite being flustered and confused at being asked). A paperback copy of ‘Meeting Each Other: The Full Story.’ Yesterday I also logged into CreateSpace and found an order for ‘Silk Over Razor Blades.’ The first sale of my debut fantasy novel. I don’t know who it is. I wish I did, but really it doesn’t matter. Someone bought it and I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoy the fact that they bought it.

Oooh, oooh, ooh, aaaaaaaaaand (!) on Thursday I’ll be doing (another) reading. This time at a launch event between Fox Spirit and Boo Books. It’s at the Central Library at 4.30pm and I’ll be reading as Raven (which means dressing up, woooohooo!). If you’re local and in the hood, come along. It will be nice to see you (and I’ll be easy to spot).

Now . . . I think I have more celebratory cake stashed somewhere. *nom nom nom*