Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I'd Like To Thank...

My, oh my, has it been a whirlwind past couple of weeks! The conference was an absolute blur, so jam packed that the only reason I ate anything at all was because I had scheduled all my meals with others ahead of time, lol.

It was and is an incredible honor to have been a finalist in the Golden Heart contest. Having that little ribbon at the bottom of my name badge was like magic—instantly encouraging all kinds of wonderful new people to talk to me. Complete strangers offered their congratulations, asked about my manuscript, and wished me good luck. It was humbling and inspiring all at once. Yet again, I was potently reminded of what an awesome institution RWA is.

When the big awards night finally arrived, I was giddy with excitement that my husband, sister, and mother joined me. It was so fun to have them witness one small part of the life I live on the side—all the people I talk about, all the energy surrounding the event, and the sheer mass of the event.

When all was said and done, I was not the winner in my category, but my only regret is not getting to say my speech. Okay, that’s a lie—one foot on that stage during rehearsals and I was TERRIFIED that I would win and have to give a speech to the yawning expanse of that New York ballroom. But I did want to have the opportunity to thank all the people that helped get me to that point.

So, my dear cake readers, I’ve decided give my speech after all. Without further ado, here is my not-an-acceptance-speech speech :)


There are so many people I have to thank, I think it best to just start at the beginning. To my amazing parents, who always encouraged us to follow our dreams. You were no less supportive of me when I announced I wanted to be a romance writer than you were when I declared Marine Science as my major in college. Now that is truly supportive parenting!

To my brother, who indulges his creativity after the work is done and the house is quiet, composing such beautiful music that one can not help but be inspired. To my sister, who broke from her cocoon in such magnificent fashion, reaching for her dreams and succeeding beautifully. It was through your example that I learned that stardust can not be captured if you don’t reach for the stars. It also helps that, as a fellow writer, I have someone to call and complain to at midnight when my characters are refusing to cooperate.

To my agent extraordinaire, Deidre Knight. It never ceases to amaze me that I somehow managed to land such an awesome champion, and I am forever grateful that you decided that you really are, as the contest stated, "just that into me."

To RWA, to my phenomenal local chapter HCRW, my dear friend Heather Snow, and to the amazingly talented and generous ladies of my Historical Romance Critique group. The support and camaraderie that the romance writing community continues to show is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

And lastly, to my husband. I could never hope to craft a hero more perfect for me than you are. You made MY dreams OUR dreams, putting unwavering faith in my ability. You have supported me in every way imaginable, and it is through your sacrifice that any of this is even possible.

I am so blessed. God planted some small seed of talent within me, and so many people have been a part of nourishing that seed, helping me in a thousand different ways so that I can continue to grow and thrive as a writer. Thank you so much, this is an honor that I will never forget.


Every word of that is true, and I didn’t need a win to make it so. All of you guys rock – whether you come by the blog religiously, stop by occasionally, or only just found me. Thanks for the kind, funny, and encouraging comments that you leave for me like little rays of sunshine each week. {{{Hugs}}}

So for today’s recipe, I decided to do a version of a dessert I had at John’s Pizzeria in the Theater district of NYC. Their dessert had chocolate on the bottom, mascarpone in the middle, and was covered with amoretto cookie crumbles and chocolate shavings. It was so good, the whole world receded as the creamy goodness filled my senses. Being the cupcake lady I am, I decided to convert the recipe to cake. I give you…

Chocolate and Mascarpone Cupcakes!

Okay, so I don’t actually have mascarpone cheese at the moment (somehow the local Food Lion didn’t see fit to carry it), but as soon as I can find it, I will be trying the recipe I found here, lol! Click Here

For your viewing pleasure, I’ve included some pics from the big night:


The dress (color is grey, not teal!)


Before the awards ceremony


My Mom and Sister :)


A few of my crit group ladies


Julia Quinn (and yes, her hair did smell nice ;) ) PS - Eloisa James juuust made it in the picture :)


Times Square afterwards


I SOO wish I had this cop's name. His expression—and the tilt of his hat—is priceless!


28 comments:

  1. What a nice idea to post your speech anyway. I wish I'd thought to do that, although I read mine to a few select people afterward, so they know.

    I know what you mean, too, about not eating unless it was scheduled. What a wild few days that was. I can't wait to do it again!

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  2. You should post it, Ashlyn! I felt a little silly doing it, but I just really wanted to honor all those around me who have helped me so much. I'm sure you'll agree that, as cheesy as it sounds, it really was an honor just to be a finalist - especially with you and the other fellow finalists at my side :)

    And yes, I can't wait to do it again next year - hopefully with a "First Sale" ribbon this time!

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  3. What a lovely speech! How lucky you were to have your family there with you. And then to have a classic New York cop moment... I'm tempted to start singing Dear Officer Krupke.

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  4. Thanks, Eliza! I can't believe I never got to meet you in person. Next time, for sure! Okay, now I'm off to google Dear Officer Krupke, lol!

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  5. Aw, Erin! What a wonderful speech! I'm so glad you posted it! And, again, you looked rockin' in your GH dress ;)

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  6. Thank you, Jerrica! I honestly don't know where I'd be with out the help and guidance of all you wonderful ladies in my historical critique group. You gals rock!

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  7. I'm so glad you posted this, Erin. Since I couldn't be there, it helped to ease the ache of being so far away from all of you.

    Love the pic with the police officer!

    I'm planning on picking up your first sale at the literacy signing next year, so NY had better get to publishing it right now. :)

    Lucie j.

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  8. Beautiful speech and the sentiments to your hubby completely made me smile. Gorgeous dress, too! Beautiful! Wonderful! Bravo even for getting to craft a speech like that! :)

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  9. This speech is absolutely beautiful and I am honored to be mentioned in such a lovely way...although, now you're going to have to write a whole new speech for the next nomination...and the win that is sure to come! You don't have to reach for the stars, my dear sister, you ARE a STAR!! :)

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  10. P.s. Even though you're allergic to musicals, you MUST listen to "Dear Officer Krupke" it is hilarious and the lyrics are pure genius! And now that Eliza mentioned it...I can't get it out of my head!

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  11. P.s.s. I love your new profile pic! And you need to change "two pooches" in your About Me to "three pooches" or poor Darcy may feel left out...;)

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  12. What a beautiful speech, Erin for a beautiful girl, both inside and out. I wish you all the best over this next year and I'll bet that first sale is right around the corner.

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  13. I so wish you could have been there, Lucie, but I'm happy to be able to share this small part of it with you. As for my book on the stands by this time next year - lol, yeah, I'd take that! Thanks so much for stopping by, Sweetie :)

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  14. Thank you, Aimee! I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to be a finalist, and therefore write the speech :-) And that dress? Best dress ever! Thanks to my hubby for getting it for me :)

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  15. LOL, Kara - you and your musicals :) Thanks so much for being there for me, and for inspiring me so much through the years. I would have never even tried if it weren't for your example! xoxo

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  16. Thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement, Suzie! I love you and all my crit partners so much :)

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  17. So sweet. I meant to tell you how beautiful you looked that night!

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  18. Aw, thanks Leigh! I loved seeing everyone in their gorgeous dresses - we were quite the dapper group, weren't we :)

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  19. What a lovely idea to share this! It was nice to see so many tweets during the conference (since I wasn't there in person, only in spirit). But it's really a treat to see your speech. The pictures are beautiful -- it's obvious how much fun everyone had.

    I hope I'm there in person next year. I don't want to miss out on any more fun!

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  20. Erin,

    What an awesome speech! You are an amazing and talented writer, and I know I'll see you on that stage in years to come as a published writer accepting an award!

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  21. Donna, being there in spirit is almost as good! I'm so glad I could share the speech with you. I sincerely hope to meet you in person soon... and I promise to bring cupcakes when I do!

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  22. Thank you, Julie! It was a huge highlight of my trip that I got to room with you and Kari. You ladies are truly fantastic, and I consider myself VERY lucky to count you as friends and contemporaries. You know, our names are pretty close - I hope we can wave at each other at our first signing!

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  23. Best speech ever! You look great in all the photos as well :)

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  24. *grins* Thanks, BookGeek! It was an all-around awesome night - I truly felt like a princess for a day. One of my favorite moments was after I put my family in a cab to their hotel, and the doorman tipped his hat and smiled at me. I said "It's been a great day."
    He responded "I can tell - you're glowing." Bless the man :) I can honestly say I won in every way that matters.

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  25. You looked amazing! And your speech was awesome, too. So maybe you didn't win this award--you're definitely going places! Congrats!

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  26. Thanks Sarah! I so wish you could have been there. Next year I hope we are both there together- me with my first sale ribbon, you with your book signing!

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  27. Beautiful speech! Marine Sciences huh? Also very cool. Friends with Heather Snow and both of you are getting published. That is so cool to share with a friend.
    Good luck in all that you do.

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  28. Thank you, Jenny! I am very blessed to have some amazing friends in the romance writing world. Without them, this would be a very different journey indeed.
    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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