This time last year, judges made their final decisions for a prestigious contest I had entered for unpublished writers. Three weeks later, I received the news that I made the top 7, which qualified me for the semi-finals! It was quite a surprise, as I didn’t feel my writing was good enough to advance. While I didn’t win the contest, I did win the difficult feat of publication. Here I sit, a year later, a bit spent after completing 14 signings in 3 months for my debut novel. B