The anthology is live now — there’s a little snafu with the paperback version but they’re working on it so that should be available soon.

I’m entering “A Little Night Action” in both the Peacemaker Awards and the Spur Awards. I’m not holding my breath because I don’t write “traditional” Westerns, but I always toss my hat into the ring. After all, you can’t win if you don’t enter!

I just learned that DOWN THE OWLHOOT TRAIL didn’t win a Spur Award – that’s the Western Writers of America awards. I’d entered several of the short stories, and I’ll admit to having a real hope of winning one. I also admit to feeling a real sense of loss at the moment, though my logical brain says that there were likely hundreds of entries and I was competing against seasoned authors.

My emotional brain still wants to let out a wail.

It’s hard not disparaging my work at a time like this, too. There’s always a little voice in the back of every writer’s head, saying things like “this is boring” or “you’ll never sell anything with writing like this.” That voice is in full swing today, especially as I’m working on a short story for an upcoming anthology with Western Fictioneers.

I think the trick is to look at how many authors haven’t won awards – most of my favorite books don’t have an award sticker on the front. Let’s be honest, too, and admit that only a very few works do win awards. There are just too many books and stories out there, and only a finite number of awards for them.

Rejection is hard at any time, but you have to keep your work out there and keep trying. DOWN THE OWLHOOT TRAIL is still in the running for several more awards, so I’m hoping I can get another kudo for the cover.