Thursday, October 14, 2010

Sharing Some Good News

I'm pretty excited to share with you all two really nice things that have happened regarding my writing.

1. My middle grade manuscript, OVER GOD, just won the 2010 Honorable Mention for the Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award. It's a huge shout-out, and I'm doubly thrilled because my friend Sara Wilson Etienne won the same award two years ago - the 2008 Honorable Mention for the Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award - and she just sold her novel in a two book deal! I am in very good company!

Sue Alexander was an amazing writer and teacher and Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators powerhouse (did you know she was SCBWI's very first member?), and this award to help writers break through continues her legacy with beauty and meaning.

2. The same manuscript got me a place in the 2010/2011 Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program - and as part of that program I'll be revising OVER GOD over the next 7 months with the incredible Emma Dryden as my editor/mentor! I feel so fortunate to be part of this program, and I'm grateful to Ellen Hopkins and Suzanne Morgan Williams at the Nevada SCBWI for creating this mentoring program to help writers like myself take our work to the next level.

I'll be revising and writing up a creative storm in the upcoming months, and I hope that leads to more good news to share in the future.

Thank you, my community, for cheering me on.

Namaste,
Lee

17 comments:

Lisa Jenn Bigelow said...

Wow! Congratulations, Lee. That's wonderful news! I can't wait to hear more.

fairyhedgehog said...

Congratulations, Lee! I hope it leads on to even greater things.

Anne M Leone said...

Wow, congrats! That's all huge! What a high you must be on! Enjoy.

Hayden said...

Woohoo! Good luck, Lee! :D And enjoy your laurels, as you more than deserve them.

Lee Wind, M.Ed. said...

Aww, thank you all. I'm feeling so supported and cheered-on!
Namaste,
Lee

Megan Frances Abrahams said...

Fantastic Lee - how exciting! Congratulations!

CJ Omololu said...

Yay Lee!!!! Can't wait to hear all about your success over Thai food in LA next summer!

Robin Mellom said...

Oh, Lee, this is fantastic news!!! :-) :-)

Metafrantic said...

Lee, that's great news! Congrats!

Ellen Hopkins said...

Yay!!! Can't wait to see you. BTW, the winner of the Sue Alexander this year also got a leg up through our Nevada SCBWI programming. We do good stuff.... can't wait to see your future two book deal.

Emma D Dryden said...

All good, Lee. And this is just the beginning.....

Laurie L Young said...

Wow, I didn't know about the mentor program, that is awesome!! This time next year we will be celebrating your book deal. I can't wait to read it!!

Stephanie J. Blake said...

HUGE GIANT CONGRATS!

ivanova said...

Congratulations! Well done!

Anonymous said...

That's so awesome! Congratulations!!!!

Jodie said...

Congratulations! I can't wait to read it when it appears on the shelves (as it will absolutely do).

Johnny said...

That's great news Lee--congrats!