Thank You, Killer Nashville

Thank you, Killer Nashville

8/23/23

Killer Nashville

www killernashville.com

Dear Founder Clay Stafford, the Faculty, Judges, Volunteers and all of Killer Nashville,

I am writing this letter to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to your entire organization for honoring me with the winning medal in my category, Best Western, for your prestigious Claymore Award presented for the first fifty pages of an unpublished manuscript to an aspiring author.

I never would have imagined myself as an award winning writer even a year and a half ago. Let me expound on my story as to how this happened:

Early in 2022 my husband and myself were taking a car trip and to pass the time I started telling him a story. I recently cleaned out my deceased mother's home where I collected many books that I started to read. He asked if I was telling him something I had read. No, I was making up the story as I told it. He said I should write it down.

So, once we were home, I perched my laptop atop my belly while reclining in my recliner and started pecking away. I am not an accomplished typist and know very little about maneuvering my way around a computer and writing tools therein.

Whereas, I have always been an avid reader when time was available, I can not recall anytime in my life I yearned to be a writer. I did it for assignments when in school or classes but always stressed about the results and didn't find pleasure in the tasks. No one was as surprised as I was that after pecking away for the better part of 2022 I turned out nearly 85,000 words I labeled as a novel.

When 2023 rolled around my other half started asking what was I going to do with this novel I wrote? I could barely find anyone in my family interested in reading it. What was I going to do with it?

I tweaked it some and started entering contests because an online class I took suggested that if you want to be published some credentials after your name couldn't hurt.

I got my sister to read it and she liked it. I wrote a short story about her for her birthday and entered it into an online writing community contest. It didn't win but I got some nice encouraging critique and have continued to write prompt inspired short stories ever since to develop some know how.

A few weeks ago I was lamenting in one of my entries how much I was struggling to meet these challenges. I was ready to throw in the towel and focus more on doing something with the tome I had staring at me.

That's when I got notification my first fifty pages of my manuscript had been named a finalist in your world renowned contest. What an honor!

I am nearly ashamed to admit I almost did not make the effort to attend the awards dinner you invited me to. Lots of excuses. Nashville is at least 500 miles from my home. An eight hour car trip. My husband is wheelchair bound and traveling so long is hard on him. Neither of us care to go by air. So much hassle. Adding up all the expense I wondered if it would be wiser to hire an editor to get the ball rolling toward publication. And on and on...

In the end he bowed out and I invited my twenty-two year-old granddaughter who is an aspiring young author to accompany me knowing she would appreciate the opportunity to mingle among editors, agents, publishers and accomplished authors. She was most helpful to me.

The awards dinner was the highlight of your four-day writer's conference held in the luxurious Embassy Suites in Franklin, Tn just south of Nashville. We were pleased to attend panels and have opportunities to meet all those professionals. Thank you for a well organized and career enhancing event. We made some new friends and have plenty of follow-up opportunities.

As I learned, Mr. Stafford, you created this venue in 2006 to feature and honor authors in thrillers, mysteries, crime, suspense, adventure, action and a host of emerging genres and give them opportunity to meet with the professionals necessary to expand their careers. The first year was on short notice when you invited some friends in for a party.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to one of those attendees at lunch. Gloria said there were 17 people there that year. There were minimum 400 this year at the 18^th Killer Nashville Writer's Convention from all over the world. A rumor circulated that a mock murder scene set up that first year was so convincing the local police were called in to investigate.

You entertained and educated us with insightful guest speakers such as author Bradley Harper, whom I happened to share a table with at the awards dinner and again at breakfast the next morning. He and his charming wife have many talents but also play Father and Mother Christmas in December. They are an interesting couple with lots of stories about their life experiences.

I witnessed an interview of you on YouTube with John DeDakis, former editor on CNN's Wolf Blitzer, now an independent editor who was featured on a few of the panels I attended. That interview helped me decide for certain it would be invaluable to attend your famous and one of the most popular writing events whether or not I won anything. I am so happy I did.

You even had the foresight to live broadcast the award dinner so my husband and family members could watch from home. Now it is still available on YouTube at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuVu69wlUMI

I don't appear until just before the two hour mark and I am not sure who that old white-haired lady is accepting my medal but I can always share it with my friends and pinch myself once more to remember that yes, it is true. I am an award winning author.

Thank you so much for making it a reality. And to which ever of the four hundred judges that saw merit in my humble story to vote it a winner.

Sincerely,

Mary Bendickson

Recipient of 2023 The Claymore Award for Best Western 'A Brilliantly Scathing Life'