Well, it's been an eventful year, but far better than the previous. A week before my surgery I received the first installment on my option for the short story 'Entah & the Moon', purchased by Australian Playwright Karen M. Cohen. I now daydream about the upcoming stage play/musical written by Ms. Cohen and her associates which will have reference to the novel the short story came from, 'Souls of the North Wind', on the billing. I know I haven't exactly made the 'big time', and maybe never will, but I do relish those small baby steps forward, like the honor of placing top ten in the Movie Deals 2008 script contest with the script version of 'Souls of the North Wind' and other recent awards for 'Souls...' and other scripts.

Of course, novel and short story writing is my first love, but for now I'm seduced with script writing and seem to be spitting out short screenplays and features as fast as my fingers can move while I heal. It's been a blessing to have this urge to express myself on paper while I ignore the ugly scar under my belly button and dream of seeing one of my stories on the big screen as well as the stage setting. Perhaps it's the pain killers, but for now I'm flooded with new hope...all these long hours of secluding myself in a room with a desk and music have not been in vain! Alas, the life of a writer can be anti-social, often we squint in the bright light of the sun when we finally emerge from our caves, so these little kudos along the way are like bread crumbs through the dark forest. No matter how small or quiet your accomplishments, my fellow writers, never hesitate to relish in even the small glories.

Chrissy K. McVay