Phew! I was starting to think I had imagined the phone call from Joni…I received the call a few days after Christmas and there were many overly excited screaming children. I was starting to fear that I had misheard Joni and that she’d actually said something like. “You’re not a finalist in the fourth quarter. I just wanted to hear how you pronounced your surname.”

The whole thing is out of my hands now, but it is exciting that KW Wentworth thinks my work has promise. Writing is subjective and I know the line between honourable mention, semi-finalist and finalist is razor thin. Each level is an achievement and a sign that you will break through to the next one at some stage.

I don’t want to do an Oscars’ speech and it’s impossible to single out one person above another, but I owe a huge debt to many Hatrackers for their advice, support and critiquing. I’m sorry for not being a more active member over the last few months, but I have the most beautiful six-month old daughter in the whole world and when I’m not writing, I’m smothering her with kisses.

Regards and thanks,

Nick

[This message has been edited by Nick T (edited January 06, 2011).]
 

Good luck to you.
 

Yea, Nick...Looks like we only got one in this time.

Niiice

[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited January 07, 2011).]
 

The idea that Joni would call you to tell you you were NOT a finalist cracked me up. You ought to win just for coming up with that conspiracy theory :-)

Every kiss you plant now will come back to you someday.
 

If so, congrats to both of you.
 

quote:

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Isn't "Patrick O'Sullivan of Virginia" our own posulliv?

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Right, that's me, a guy that can't even remember how to quote other posts correctly. Quite a surprise.

[This message has been edited by posulliv (edited January 07, 2011).]
 

I'll add my congrats to Patrick
 

quote:

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Hatrack seems to be scoring pretty consistently high in WOTF.

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Well, we've got to keep supplying Snapper with titles for the annual WOTF challenges, don't we.
 

[This message has been edited by Tiergan (edited January 08, 2011).]
 

Hopefully we'll see you're names among the winners real soon.
 

A big BIG heartfelt congratulations to you, Patrick. (A big heartfelt congratulations to Nick, but I don't know you so...no extra big for you.)

FANTASTIC!!
 

You deserve it, Patrick. If they had a bursting heart emoticon, I'd use it. Cheers to you!
 

Well done!
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20110121/bs_prweb/prweb8081259

Still plenty of seats available on flight 28 for Los Angeles. Get your stories in!
 

I don't think Patrick's had anything published until this. I believe he's had some non-fiction, work-related stuff published, but no fiction. And it couldn't have happened to a better writer. The even worse thing about this is that it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I hate him.

Patrick was in the 2008 OSC Boot Camp class, and it was obvious to me that out of a group of very good writers, Patrick was one of the best. His work has a lyrical flow to it that kind of reminds me of Bradbury before Bradbury became bloated with purplish prose. A hasty comparison perhaps, but one I'm sticking with.

I have no idea what story won, as Patrick has been extremely tight-lipped about it, but I can say with a certain amount of confidence that Patrick has a better than average shot at winning the Grand Prize.

And if that happens, my toadying and sycophantic skills will be on even greater display and second to none.
 

This award has been both a surprise and a shock. I've won one prize before this; a radio-controlled Mini Cooper in a Dr. Pepper contest.

This is better.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words. I don't post here as often as I should given how much I get out of the forums. Hatrack has really helped me a lot, you all have helped me a lot. I don't comment on every thread but I've been reading and absorbing. This is a friendly and polite place to spend time with other writers. Kathleen runs a tight ship and I'm glad to be part of the crew.

Skadder, thanks for the recommendation on codex. I'll see if my login still works.

[This message has been edited by posulliv (edited January 22, 2011).]
 

Congrats. You know the last person who finished first in the 4th quarter won it last year...
 

Does that mean you have previously made a pro-sale? I can't find your name on the list of Codex members.

I'm confused.
 

"...or completion of a major, by-audition-only speculative fiction writing workshop such as Clarion, Odyssey, Literary Boot Camp, Clarion West, etc."

Don't know why my name wouldn't show up.
 

And Nick, what you accomplished is amazing. Not many writers ever make it that far.

Good luck to you both.
 

Thanks guys. The good thing about writing is that it's not a zero-sum game. I'm sure Patrick is going to go on to a glittering career and it will be well deserved.

Having said that, I won't lie and say that reading the results in this thread wasn't a punch in the guts. It's not easy coming close, especially on the heels of a couple of years of rejections. Still, that's a writer's lot. I'm feeling better about it than a few days ago.

Nick
 

Surely not.

I doubt this was a flash in the pan, Nick. What may not be obvious to you about your writing will be obvious to KDW. She had already selected my story--the one that had been entered into the following quarter--as finalist, before she was told to pull it as I'd already won.

You'll be a finalist again--winning at that point is a roll of the dice.

To be honest, I know that this story is better than the next quarter’s and it’s the best thing I’ve done by quite a long shot. I had to throw the Q1 story together at the last minute after some ill-advised re-writing. Furthermore, I had formatting problems, so there are stray paragraphs and formatting problems all over the place.

Kathleen, I’d be happy getting anything published, as long as I don’t have to pay for it. Getting published in the anthology would be a huge bonus.

Regards,

Nick