Hello from Home,

Back from another weekend in the sac. The cul-de-sac, that is. Once again Prez and I bunked at Casa Roney in our old ‘hood. The occasion? My fourth go at the Surrey International Writer’s Conference aka the SIWC. Of course, this year was no ordinary conference because this year yours truly won the SIWC Storytellers Award.

Finally.

I say ‘finally’ not as in “It’s high time they recognized my genius” but as in “This is the fourth time I’ve entered this contest, the third time I’ve received an email to let me know that I had been short listed, and if I didn’t win soon I was going to eat too much chocolate and cry.”

The contest has several categories but the short fiction award is particularly coveted, (by me at least), because it is judged by Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte, who are bestselling authors…and infinitely more famous than me.

I didn’t get a photo of the event but you will see an artist’s representation of me receiving my award, below.

Along with my mini-rock star moment, collecting my prize, I also had the pleasure of meeting four crazy Yankee women. We would collectively become known as the Chicken Chicks. Blame our moniker on a poorly stocked buffet, empty stomachs and too much alcohol.

Amy, the Tennessee representative of the Chicken Chicks, had us all chortling at her tales of single life and her cross-country search (recorded for literary posterity) to discover if all the ‘good ones’ are indeed gone. She and her girlfriends spent one weekend each month visiting singles hotspots in different American cities. For single women out there who may be wondering, apparently Denver, also known as ‘Menver’, was Amy’s top pick for finding a ‘good one’. It’s only a matter of time before an agent snaps this gal up and gets her book published. Personally I look forward to the day when I can brag that I once got drunk and yelled “CHICKEN!” with Amy Everhart.

I’m back home now. My hangover is nearly gone. My cash prize is pretty much spent. My briefcase is back in the closet for another year. Yup, I’m just a regular old princess once more. Sigh.

Until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!
The Regular Old Princess

Artist’s rendition of Kristene Perron accepting the SIWC Storyteller’s Award