This is beyond my wildest imagination.
My memoir piece has been chosen as one of the seven finalists for a contest organized by The Memoirists Collective.
Hundreds of entries, huge talent pool, diverse subjects. I feel overwhelmed and humbled to have even placed.
The winner, chosen from among these finalists, will have his/her proposal read by the top editors of three major publishing houses–Harper Collins, Hyperion and Holt. No guarantee of the proposal being accepted for publication, but a huge opportunity nonetheless.
There will be another round, with the finalists expanding their entries and doing a workshop with the organizers. A great learning experience all in all.
You can read my entry here. Please feel free to post comments.
Special thanks to Bernita for helping me polish the piece for submission. π
Bhaswati Ghosh 
Wow! Congratulations!!! You deserve it. Good luck in the next round!
I love this story! Your grandmother reminded me of someone in my own family.I wish you all the best in this contest! How exciting!
Congratulations!!!!!
That is so huge. I will check out your piece, but I want to say congrats.
It’s not wonder you were chosen in the final group. This piece really shines with old memories vividly recalled. Good luck, but I have a good feeling about this.
Truly a lovely story, Bhaswati.
Congratulations and good luck! I’m off to read your story…
Awesome story. Very rich in its descriptions, and touching.
Great story! Congratulations and good luck! π
Wonderful news!Very proud of you! π
Thank you everyone. What can I say but that the greatest reward of writing is to have the support of terrific friends like you all? Thanks to those who read my entry and liked it. Now comes the real tough part. Adding another 2,000 words to the story that will reflect the memoir’s narrative arc. (Bites fingernails). I am sorry I haven’t been around your blogs lately (something I love to do). This contest and a few other writing projects are the culprits. I promise to make up for my absence very soon though. Can’t stay off my favourite people’s journals for too long π
Great story, dipping with atmosphere–love it.I have a whole sack of good luck vibes saved up for just such an occasion.* oni reaches into the burlap sack and tosses two large handfuls into the air.-oni
Waa, waa, waa, Shabhash Bhaswati.Khoobsurat. I could close my eyes and imagine I was there under the big mango tree as the dark storm clouds rolled in. I wish you all the best in the remainder of the contest. You deserve to win. Can’t wait to read the additon to it.dil se,Simran
Congratulations! Very well-deserved! Best wishes to you!
Oni, you sure got just the thing I needed. Appreciate those good vibes! Thanks for the kind words :)Simran, I am so glad you read my entry and liked it. Thanks for the good wishes :)Marti, thank you so much!
Congrats!! That’s awesome.
Thanks, Matt!
Congrats! That’s wonderfulββI can’t wait to read it.
Heh. I really have to start proof reading my comments. On my first post, I meant “dripping,” not “dipping.”But you probably figured that out.Cheers.
Jamie, thanks. I hope you like it. Oni, fret not, friend. I’ve been culpable of the same offence on more occasions than I’d care to admit π
Great! Congrats :-)I want to read your story, but that damn link doesn’t open :-((
Hey, thanks, Yoda! I can email the story to you if that’s okay?
Please, go right ahead. I love receiving email :-)Wonder why that page isn’t working though … is it one of your new blogs to get by the Indian blockage of blogger?
Hmm, you are right, Yoda. The link wasn’t working for me either, though it initially did (weird, huh?). I put it back again, so now it should. Will send you the email anyway. π
That is so exciting!!! Congratulations!
Aww, thanks Kelly! For the kind words and for dropping by.
Congratulations Bhaswati,It was nice to see you on my blog yesterday.I did not hear from you for the longest time. I thought you had written me off and wasn’t any longer, interested in my writing.
“I thought you had written me off and wasn’t any longer, interested in my writing.”Or was it the other way round, Susan? LOL, jut joking. I clicked on your old blog a lot of times, and in the recent past, my comp would hang every time I did that. Then recently, I chanced upon your new blog and was so glad. I never write off friends. For a while, I didn’t visit any of my blog friends only because I was buried neck deep in some writing projects. Thanks for the kind words and a warm welcome back, Susan π