It's Official!

I have huge news.  First, though, I want to just remind everyone of this post and ask you to read my big news in light of the word I chose to live out this year: dream.

On January 7, 2013, two big things happened to me:

I came home from the homeschool drama and speech class at the library, opened my email account, and in the very big stack of virtual envelopes saw TIME SENSITIVE.  So, naturally, I opened it first.
The Huffington Post - a real news report! - wanted little old not-even-published-yet me to webcam in their 20-30 minute HuffPost Live video interviewing teen author Anna Caltabiano of All That Is Red.  (I haven't read it, but they wanted me to talk with them/her as a fellow teen writer.)  I was shocked and amazed and very, very nervous, but you can see my first official appearance in video on the web.  I have a small bit mostly in the middle.  But still.  The News!

Not even two hours later, even more good news heralded my inbox.  Lo and behold, the same day A Real News Report invites me to their video, I win a poetry contest!  My poem, "Reasons," was one of about one hundred to be chosen for publication in an anthology coming out in March entitled Inside of Me - entirely written for teenagers, by teenagers.  As if that wasn't amazing enough, my poem was also one of about twenty to thirty poems that went on to the scholarship contest (which was the original reason I entered).

That all leads me to the title of this post, "It's Official!"  Because as of this month, this year, January 2013, I can no longer hide behind insecurity or the odds or even the fact that technically, I'm now an official poet, not a "real author."

As of my seventeenth birthday, I. Am. A Teen Author.

To all my wonderful, amazing, lovely followers and readers - thank you, first of all, for getting me to this point.  Trust me, you were very important in my writing journey the past two years, especially during this time.

I plan to reflect this change in my life by changing my blog address and title.  Maybeteenauthor.blogspot.com will redirect old readers, but I will be blogging at a new site from now on.  Please pass the word on!  AND - I need help choosing a new title and address!  Ideas and feedback are appreciated!