Another bittersweet contest

Before I get to my personal contest woes...I'd like to mention that today is the Official Release Date for Diana Peterfreund's debut, Secret Society Girl. As I mentioned in a recent blog, she's been counting down the days, offering prizes to those who comment on her blog--I won a 'Rose and Grave' pin, and I can't wait to read the book to discover it's significance. Found out today that I'm also now the proud owner of some Pomegranate Martini lipgloss--that's just about as alcoholic as I get... So pop over, let her enthusiasm rub off on you, and then run out and get yourself a copy of the book everyone is raving about!

Now on to my personal news, which is not nearly so exciting as it could have been. Yesterday I received a letter from Affaire de Coeur (a review publication in print for 25 years). It said that my debut Unladylike Pursuits had been selected as a finalist for Best Regency in their 2006 Reader/Writer Poll, having been chosen by readers and fans. Wow, right? My self-published book was listed right along side of novels written by Julia Quinn, Anne Gracie, Lynn Kerstan, and Edith Layton! I was stunned, surprised, excited, enthused, until I realized that it the letter indicated that the contest included books published between Jan and Dec. 2005.

My book was published in Dec. 2004.

How, you might ask, could this have happened? I won't go into details--it's a long story, but suffice it to say it was accidentally lumped in. So now I had a dilemmna on my hands. Should I contact Affaire de Coeur? Had they realized the special circumstances surrounding their review of my book and decided to include it anyway? Should I just wait and see?

I knew what I had to do, and I did it yesterday afternoon. I wrote to the publisher at Affaire de Coeur and explained the situation and then wrote, 'so it would seem that I need to be disqualified', hoping that I really wouldn't. She promptly wrote back thanking me for my explanation, accepting my recusal, and graciously telling me I could indicate in all author/publisher press that I was indeed a finalist.

My first contest final...slipped from my grasp. So very bittersweet...
I doubt I'll even be posted as a finalist on their website or in their magazine, which loses me the promotional opportunities. So if you're a fan of the underdog, please tell all your friends about my sad, sad story.