Flash Fiction Contest Results

Once upon a time, a girl entered a flash fiction contest to challenge herself. She did really well in the first round, but drew a genre outside of her comfort zone for round two. She tackled the dreaded flash mystery as best she could. But, alas! The girl's best efforts were not good enough. She failed to advance to the third round.

Honestly? I'm relieved. I've got too much on my plate right now to focus on a writing competition.

I'm in the midst of organizing a silent art auction for a friend of mine who was recently diagnosed with cancer. My living room is filling up with assorted artwork, which is pretty awesome. I'll be sad to part with some of the pieces. I've also been painting to add some of my own work to the donation pile.

On top of that, my little one had an allergic reaction to the flu shot this week. His arm is about three times its normal size. We've pumped him full of meds, but his body is recovering slowly. We have an appointment with an allergist to determine whether he has an egg allergy, or if he reacted to a different component of the vaccine. Fun times.

On the writing front, NanoWriMo starts in less than two weeks. I have a general idea of what I want my novel to be about. I know the characters. I expected to be a bit more prepared, but I'll go with what I've got. Sadly, it's still more prepared than I've ever been at the start of November. With the art auction in the middle of the month, as well as Thanksgiving, meeting that 50k word count goal is going to be especially tough this year.

So, did I really need to be in a writing competition with all of this going on? No, it's probably best that I didn't advance. Am I still disappointed that I didn't make it to round three? Absolutely.

Book Review: Inconceivable

Hatty leaves her home in the Ozarks to study journalism abroad in the small country of Toulene. She has aspirations of becoming an investigative reporter, but lands an internship at a tabloid. She accidentally runs into the Prince, John Meinrad, at a bar, and it isn't long before fate has them head over heels for each other. 

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. Except, it doesn't for John and Hatty. It's not for lack of trying. Their struggle to conceive is heart-wrenching. 

The writing is strong and clever, and Hatty is very easy to sympathize with. However, I couldn't get past how much she willingly gives up to be with John. I understand they're in love, but the sacrifice is very one-sided. In order to "be allowed" to marry John, Hatty must abandon her internship, the research she has conducted for what was to be her first big story, her degree (they won't even let her graduate!), and her U.S. citizenship. She does it with hardly any fuss. Hatty is so strong in her struggle with infertility, willing to go to great lengths to be a mother. Where was that passion for her career and education? I almost abandoned the book after Part One because I was so pissed at Hatty for how quickly she caved to the royal demands.

The latter half of the book is worth it though. It is touching and emotional, and even brought a few tears as I read. Hatty seems to grow stronger as she faces increasing pressure from the monarchy to produce an heir, and even blackmails the King when he threatens to have her marriage to John annulled. In her desperation to conceive, she seems to find herself, and it's beautiful to see. 

If you are looking for a whirlwind, fairytale romance, this is definitely not the book for you. Yes, our heroine gets her prince, but it's not the flippant happy ending you might expect. It's so much more.

** I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **