Recognition

Okay, so I’m told all REAL authors write because they have to, that even if NO ONE read their work they would write any way to satisfy a need deep within themselves. I must not qualify.

If no one read my work, if my stories didn’t reach out and touch at least one other reader, I wouldn’t write. Period. I LOVE to share my work with people. I love knowing I gave someone a few hours of pleasure and enjoyment, that my work let them leave behind the pressures and tensions of the day for at least a little while. I have no demons to exorcise, no inner voice screaming for release, no alternate personality questing to be heard outside my head. Maybe that’s why I don’t use a pen name. This is all just me. It’s just me, storytelling and writing out my little fantasy tales with my guy characters and simple plots, writing what “I” like to read and hoping someone else will enjoy it too.

Pretty ordinary, mundane stuff. It’s even been said those two adjectives describe my writing. *g* That’s okay with me. I’ve been told my writing is awesome, too. Which is REALLY okay with me. *bg* The point being, not everyone enjoys the same thing. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Treasured Trash? lol! You know who I’m going to listen to, don’t you? *VBG*

Along with knowing there are readers who enjoy my work, my desire to write is also fueled by a smattering of a more structures form of recognition–awards. I admit it, I’m shallow and egotistical.

I’m thrilled each and every time one of my works is nominated for, finals or wins a writing award. Whether it be a reader recognition award or a more formal peer award, it brings a sizzling flash of excitement and a longer lasting buzz of contentment to me. Someone read my story and LIKED it! Someone I probably don’t even know let me into their world and I brought enjoyment to them. How cool is that? To reach out, maybe all the way around the world, and give that to a reader? THAT makes writing worth it to me.

Modesty aside, I have awards ranging from SCREWZ awards during my fan fiction days to minor screenwriting awards to multiple review site awards to winning an EPPIE last year. These are the EXTRA logs to the fire of my creativity. I do OCCASIONALLY need to know what I do is worth it, that I am giving readers enjoyment, an escape if you will, from their daily lives, no matter how great or not so great that life is. God knows I sure don’t do it for the money!

This week a big fat old log was thrown on my creative fires when MEXICAN HEAT, written in collaboration with Josh Lanyon, was short listed for best Gay Romance at the Lambda Literary Awards. I’m a Lambda finalist. I never expected to say those words. I had a librarian tell me that being a Lambda finalist was as good as winning as far as libraries were concerned. Part of the congratulations go to Josh, of course, and part go to our editor Judi David, who molded our two different styles of writing to one. It was a challenging write, but it seem to have paid off.

I’m thrilled, excited, honored and can’t wait to go to the Lambda awards dinner in NYC in May. Yes, I hope to win, but heck, I like to party, too! I’ll be attending with MLR Press cover artist Deana Jamroz and writing icon Victor J. Banis who has graciously agreed to escort us! Talk about a cool event!

I want to mention too that in the Gay erotic category HARD WORKING MEN, an anthology by William Maltese, Victor J. Banis, Jardonn Smith and J.P. Bowie, another MLR Press title, is also a finalist. The entire short list can be see here.

http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/current_finalists.html

AND– MEXICAN HEAT is also part of the 2nd Annual DA BWAHA, Dear Author Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors. For newcomers, this is a tournament of books that mimics the March Madness tournament of basketball. They’ve picked a slate of 64 books in 8 different categories to compete against each other through the next few weeks. Dear Author/Smart Bitches tourney.

http://dabwaha.com/

Fuel for the creative fires all over the place this week. Now if I could just find the time to sit by that snapping fire, GENETIC SNARE would be finished instead of staring at me half done.

Written by Laura Baumbach

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