November 24, 2008

Back To Bloggin

So apparently, I went ahead and entered that Zondervan/Mt Hermon First Novel Competition after all. How could I NOT enter? I met all the criteria, thanks to a string of strange coincidences. No, you’re right. Not coincidence. I call these convenient convergences of opportunity ‘God-incidents.’ Anyway, imagine a clipped squeal when I took a break from scrubbing toilets last Saturday to peek at my inbox and found a message saying my novel had semi-finaled in the contest and asking me to send the full manuscript. My husband thought I’d seen a spider.

So The Novel is sent and I wait till Feb 1 for finalists to be announced, which means my kids will get their favorite Christmas cookies this year after all. I could be really candid here and tell you what I think my chances of finaling are, but I won’t. A very cool Oklahoman told me recently that there are no odds with God. I could tell you that if I don’t win, I’ve already been blessed by this contest because 1. It forced me to scrape up the nerve to submit and 2. It got me fired up to finish the ding-dong thing on a deadline, which I did. But I won’t tell you that either.

I will say that since The Novel is sent, there is no point working on it at the moment, so I am free to blog again. We may discuss some of the topics covered in my novel, things like loss and grieving, tests of faith, praying for your enemies, and haggis. And possibly beach volleyball. World Peace is always a hot topic here, too. So if you have a preference or suggestion, post away.
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5 comments:

Jessica Nelson said...

Hey, saw your post on RG's blog. Too funny!
So, have you had any new thoughts for a new story?

Yum. favorite cookies. This makes me want to bake.

November 25, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Camille Eide said...

Hey Jessica - nothing solid on the story yet. I'm reading, praying, mulling, and looking at what publishers already have. It's interesting to see which pub houses have what kinds of fiction.

I have all my Christmas cookies on file if you want me to send some. I decided last year that if I die, my daughter will be expected to carry on the cookie tradition, and the recipes I was using weren't legible, so I typed them all up.

November 25, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Anne Lang Bundy said...

Congrats on making semi-finalist! Much better reason to scream than a spider.

I've caught you on Rachelle's blog but don't think we've met yet. This is my first visit to your blog. If I ever visit Oregon again I'll wear the black leather skirt sitting in my closet I hadn't found the right occasion for.

Way cool they "let" you play bass guitar. I accidently found myself on the church drama team this fall and have discovered a gift from God I didn't know he'd given me. Standing up in front of 500 people to praise the Lord for free is so much more satisfying than dreaming of royalty checks.

I like your first chapter. May the Lord bless and direct you.

Anne

November 25, 2008 at 2:43 PM
MisoMama said...

I stumbled over here from the acfw forum when you requested a critique partner/person. It looks like you are no longer in need -- congrats!

November 25, 2008 at 7:12 PM
Kathy Oster said...

Congratulations Camille on having the guts to submit it and making the semi-finals!!! That is fantastic! Nice to see your blogs again!
Kathy

November 30, 2008 at 11:26 PM

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ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. . . .

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

I've published five novels and 2 novellas (more about those on my website.) I've been writing all my life, but decided in 2007 to get serious about being published.

I love action movies and Jane Austen. (she’s dead, I know. I found that out when I tried to get her to endorse my novel)

They let me play Bass guitar and sing in a worship band.

I can produce 4 dozen homemade cinnamon rolls in a flash for a crowd of drooling young adults. Or publishing house editors.

I used to have a Harley. Now we have seven grandkiddos. Decent trade, really.

I am a proud Grammy. Don't even think about taking candy from my babies.

I hate shopping (Yes, I'm aware that I'm a girl)

MY ROOTS:
I've lived in Oregon all my life, spent time in Eugene (Go DUCKS!), Springfield, Reedsport, and Smith River. Which is not really a town, but a river, about 70 miles long, a tributary of the Umpqua River in southwest Oregon.

Although it's not a town, it is a community with a strong sense of pioneer history. It's cool to say you've lived there, especially if you lived there during the days when you had to take a boat to school. No joke! The old farmhouse my grandfather and my mother grew up in still stands, nestled into a narrow, pasture carpeted valley, complete with a swimmin' hole and its own 'crick'. It may turn up in one of my novels.

There's a rumor that my ancestors had a connection with the Mafia back in Sicily. I used to fantasize as a kid about a big black limo with tinted windows pulling up and whisking me away from school. Ahhh. So THAT'S why I'm having so much trouble conjugating my dangling participles now.

NOT RANDOM: I am challenged by the truth and amazed by the grace of God. And it's either in spite of or because of that grace that I hold a PhD in Learning Stuff the Hard Way.