WOW, let’s rewind the clock to 18 November 2015!

Found this selfie when I was scrolling through my phone, and the memories flooded back. In 2015 I entered my very first writing competition for my work-in-progress, and thought nothing much of it…

That was until I received an email informing me that I had been shortlisted for the:

Love Stories New Talent Award.

Oh. My. Word. There was a lot of whooping, and squealing and all sorts.
That was such a highlight for my earlier writing.

As a newbie writer, I had so many dreams and hopes and my mind was so full of possibilities, but this shortlisting gave me something more than just sheer delight.

Confidence in my writing. A belief that I could actually do this. Yep, that was almost 6 years ago (but who’s counting :))

I never thought I’d be shortlisted. And when the invitation to attend the ceremony came…it became all so real. So I took a day off the day job, dragged my husband along with me and we travelled to Central London in the rain. On the way, I was a bag of nerves, but that didn’t stop me from taking a selfie (a few actually).

And once we got to London, oh my word, I wasn’t prepared for the glitz and glamour…fizz and bubbly …a cosy dim-lit room abuzz with excited chatter from brilliant authors, agents, editors… And then there was me (only a newbie, mind spinning), and my lovely husband.

I remember smiling and trying to network whilst putting up a brave face even though my stomach was in knots…And then it was the time for the announcement. I didn’t win, but that didn’t matter at all, I never thought I would.

I enjoyed the experience so much and just being in a room with some of the finest authors was the inspiration I needed to continue my writing journey.

So the journey continues even now. The more I look back, the more I see how far I’ve come. And when I look ahead, I also see a long way to go.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading about my little #throwbackthursday!

Happy writing!
Lorraine