The 2008 Golden Heart Inspirational Finalists----Part 1

SEEKERVILLE Welcomes Susan and Kit.

Meet Susan Mason

Hi everyone! I am honored to be asked to post here at Seerkerville today. My name is Susan Mason and I am a Golden Heart ® finalist in the Inspirational Romance category.

First, let me tell you a bit about myself. I am married with two children: a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. I work part time as a secretary in a small church – a job I find rewarding (most of the time!) We live in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, near the big city of Toronto.

On March 25th, I was totally unprepared for the phone call I received about four in the afternoon. That time of day is prime time for telemarketers (and we get a lot), so when the lady called and fumbled a bit with what the call was about, I almost hung up on her! “What a terrible telemarketer,” I thought. “She doesn’t even know what company she’s calling for.” Then when the words RWA and Golden Heart sunk into my brain, I could not believe it! I think I floated for two days.

Wyndermere House is the third manuscript I have finished, and with very little feedback about what I had written, it was a pleasant surprise to hear that my writing has improved enough to merit this honor.

My first book, which I wrote strictly for myself, took me two years to finish and broke every rule known to man! Mainly because I had no idea there were rules! I blithely set out writing a second book, which was quite a bit better than the first, but still oblivious to “the rules”. Taking a one-day workshop hosted by the Toronto Romance Writers changed my writing life. Debra Dixon spoke about the necessity of having “Goal, Motivation and Conflict” in your story. Being in a room with so many women who were doing the same thing as me was amazing! I then joined the Toronto chapter of RWA and continued to learn everything I could about my craft.

Achieving the status of Golden Heart ® finalist has come at a time when I really needed some good news. It has given me the validation I needed to keep on going. I hope my story gives someone else out there the encouragement to keep following their dreams.

Congratulations to the other finalists in my category, Keli, Kit and Denise, as well as all the other finalists. I wish you all the best of luck and continued success in your careers!

Love and best wishes,

Sue Mason
http://www.suemasonsblog.blogspot.com/

Meet Kit Wilkinson

So, thrilled to be here on Seekerville. Don’t know about you, but I come here when I’m feeling a little lost on the road to publication. It’s a great place to find inspired writer stories and hear the ups and downs that others have experienced. Love it. Thanks for having me, ladies.

About me…former teacher now stay-home-mom who prays every day that she doesn’t have to go back to teaching. Ah. Don’t laugh. I’m fairly serious about that…Also I confess I haven’t been writing fiction for long. However, as a “career” student (which is what my family called me for many years), I have cranked out my fair share of pages. I also kept journals and wrote poetry over the years. Some of it I shared. Some of it I threw away. I read my first romance novel four years ago. I fell in love with the genre, read a million more then had to try my hand at writing one…My first attempts produced two poorly done mss. Well. Okay. They were terrible. But they helped me learn POV and brought me to an important place on this writer’s journey. After entering a few contests and learning more about the market, I realized that I either had to write for the Christian market or leave God and faith out of my stories (at least, as a major theme). Well, you can see which path I chose and God has truly blessed me for it...not just with my writing, but in so many aspects of my life.

So, here I am ready and willing to keep plugging along. Running from Trouble was my first inspirational ms. I recently finished a second, am plotting the third, and preparing to go to my first conference. I would love to hear some other “plugging along” stories and successes…Where did Golden Heart lead you? I know we can’t all win. We can’t all final in every contest. BUT…we can all get published! And here’s to hoping for that…

Running From Trouble: Worker’s compensation lawyer, Tabitha Beaumont has trouble ... when two strange men attack her and demand she give them something she doesn’t have, it takes NCIS Special Agent Rory Farrell to rescue her from their clutches. The investigation leads to a murder and her beloved older brother’s involvement. Plagued by a haunting memory, Tabitha’s fragile world is collapsing around her. She needs God’s help more than ever as she decides whether to… protect her brother or trust Agent Farrell, the man who might shatter her heart.

Please visit my Blog, Romance in the Kitchen…for great books and great food.