I was a finalist in the International Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards. This is an INTERNATIONAL competition for indie and small press authors. International? I am still blown away by this. The Colonel's Contraband competed against authors from all over the world and reached the finals! Me, a little girl, grounded for three months when I was ten years old, who picked up a pencil and paper (I still write in pencil) to cure boredom, wrote an internationally recognized book. Me. That little girl who wrote stories about fair maidens who fell in love with dark princes who lived in underwater kingdoms. I'm here staring at a pile of research for the next Adrianne Novels book, thinking "Holy Shit!".