I’m incredibly honored to announce that my new adult paranormal romance, THE TWENTY-EIGHTH KISS, has now finaled in five contests: First Coast Romance Writer’s Beacon Contest, Mid-America Romance Authors’ Fiction from the Heartland Contest, San Francisco Area RWA’s Heart-to-Heart Contest, Missouri RWA’s Gateway to the Best Contest, and Windy City RWA’s Four Seasons Contest.

**Cue scene in which I spin in circles on a green hill and then break into Katy Perry’s “Roar.”**

These contests are all RWA chapter contests and their first-round judges have provided me with invaluable feedback about my project. The judges also gave me a lot of encouragement. Their comments just made me smile. 🙂 It’s one thing to believe in your book and quite another to hear someone else–a complete stranger–say they love it and can’t wait for it to be published.

Every time I sit down to write a new book, I try to push myself in some way. THE TWENTY-EIGHTH KISS is my first new adult book. It’s also my first book in dual POV, and I’ve woven my new learning from craft workshops into the fabric of the book. I also can’t help playing with things–like tying the paranormal aspect directly into the romance and its obstacles. The paranormal and romance plots do not coexist but are one in the same.

As always, I couldn’t do this without a few really savvy critique partners. When I was a teenager, I’d lock myself in my room and write and write and write. Those books are still somewhere in my basement on floppy drives (dating myself here)–fantasy paranormals that nobody ever saw but me. But as soon as I decided I wanted an audience and set that goal to be published, I knew I was going to need help. In many ways, it’s all about the journey, and I’m having an absolute blast working with my girls: Kimberley Ash, Arell Rivers, Noella Phillips, and Aryn Youngless. Write on!

Michelle Joyce Bond