The Lost Dragon Egg

I wrote my latest novel, The Lost Dragon Egg, on a lark, basically.   I hadn't gone in with any real plan or any sense of direction.  It's a simple story about a girl who goes searching for an armored black dragon egg.
The black dragon, of course, is a special dragon that is important in the lore of Dragon Valley, my husband and children's ancestral land. It summons ghosts, turns sims into zombies, and can get a death flower. I know about death flowers - my mother used to grow those. 

So imagine my shock when I got word that it hit the top of the best seller list and became, commercially, my most successful book ever, even surpassing Interview with a Mummy.

Then, I got a letter from the Vaughan Institute, announcing my nomination for this year's Vaughan Prize in Literature!

The Vaughan Prize is a huge, huge deal.  It is Simland's highest literary award.  Every year, only about twenty books get shortlisted, and that list gets knocked down to ten.  The Lost Dragon Egg is among the ten finalists for this year's Vaughan Prize.

 
I'm not going to lie.  I want to win the Vaughan Prize.  I want it more than anything.  I realize the award would cap my career, and I would be sorely disappointed if I didn't win it.

But while all the critical acclaim and unexpected success - financial and otherwise - is wonderful, knowing my readers like it is all the praise I really need.  A certain thirteen-year-old aspiring novelist and discerning literary critic approached me in our foyer and gushed about how much she loved it.  She even asked me if I based the main character on her. 
Actually, she is an amalgam of a bunch of people.   I didn't really base her on any one person in particular.  The red hair, well, I've kind of had a thing for red hair.  Aunt Maggie had it, and I swear I wish I had it.  Then I married a redhead...