I made the cut!

      After a lifetime as a journalist, I've grown accustomed to seeing my name in print. You might say the thrill is gone. But I was never so excited to see my name as today when I opened up Amazon's list of books/authors being considered for this year's Breakthrough Novel Award. It's a long list. Amazon opened the contest to 10,000 . In the first round, the field was cut to 2,000 -- five categories with 400 in each. I thought the list would be posted when I woke up this morning and was disappointed to learn that the posting time would be about 9 a.m. Pacific -- or not until noon here on the East Coast. So I joined some friends for a day of sun and paddling kayaks around Bahai Honda State Park. I returned about 3:30 p.m. and found the list was indeed posted. I clicked on the mystery/thriller category and scrolled down page after page. It was alphabetical by first names and Sue is waaaaay down the alphabet. But to my delight, my name was there. So many books are being published these days that it's really hard to stand out in the pack. 2,000 contestants is still a pretty hefty pack, but I'm feeling just a little taller today.