What am I going to be doing in ten years? And what exactly is success? What are the measurements? If money is the measurement, I better work harder at selling books, because I am the virtual definition of a starving artist. If it is awards received, maybe I am inching towards elusive success. In the Total Quality Process, they say three data points are needed to establish a trend. So far I have been a finalist or winner six times on two books. Does that indicate a trend, or do I need one more book to be recognized in order to say I have a trend of excellence recognition? Finally, I have personal goals to meet, and that might be the true measurement–to publish the next two or three books to finish out my writing career. The other thing I know from the Total Quality Process is that what gets measured, gets done. I am measuring it all!

https://nmwriters.org/nm-book-awards-2026/: What is Success?

It has been a month since the NM Writers Book Awards event in Las Cruces, NM. I had driven down from Santa Fe–a three and a half hour drive–in fact to visit a best friend from my software consulting days. While there, I figured I could stop in on the Book Awards banquet.

When I walked into the Awards banquet, the first person I ran into was an acquaintance from a Santa Fe Book group–Kooks and Curious Minds. Paul Christman is a writer with an impressive background in fiction, magazine articles, and submissions to the award winning anthology, Dust Up. We sat together along with Deenise Becenti’s family from Gallup. Her daughter, Paige Buffington had entered the book, Hachita Red.

Since I had gone to the banquet more as a lark than a serious venture, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, meeting new people and renewing my friendship with Paul. I had entered my book, Between Two Freedoms, into their completion, but had kinda forgotten what categories the book was competing in.

As Lisa McCoy, the association president, began to announce winners, she first began with the category finalists-those books entered that were recognized but not the winner in their category. As they began naming names, I settled into my seat, daydreaming about the room, the historic La Posta de Mesilla restaurant where we were sitting, and the plans my friend Kristi and I were formulating.

I was jolted out of my reveries when I heard my tablemate, Paige Buffington’s book name. She was a finalist in the Debut Writer category! It was thrilling for everyone at the table! I felt like I was at the Academy Awards! Lisa ran through several other categories. I was more alert than I had been. And I heard my name! a finalist in the Young Adult category. Paige was recognized in the BIPOC Writers category. And I heard my name again–finalist in the Multi-cultural category!

I sat back, thinking those were the two categories I was most likely to gain recognition, and there weren’t many categories left.

The Historical Fiction category is always very competitive, with usually a high number of entries. I was hoping to be a finalist in this category. I sat with fingers crossed as Lisa began reading off the finalists. As she read through the names, I began to feel a bit disheartened, as Between Two Freedoms was not named. I was just getting comfortable with two finalists recognitions (no small feat), when I heard my name and Between Two Freedoms read out as the category winner! I was so surprised and gratified! I was readying myself for a big disappointment, and instead I walked up to receive the award I thought I had the smallest chance of winning.

I had entered Between Two Freedoms into several book awards, only to come up empty handed. It was then that I was beginning to realize that winning a book award isn’t so easy.

It wasn’t until my nephew asked me how many people win book awards that I came to understand what an honor it is to win a book category. Of all the books published the odds of winning an awards is some crazy percent like .000001 or something like that. But a more reasonable way to look at it is of books entered, what are the odds of winning–that is approximately 15%-20% chance of being a finalist, and a 2.5%-5% chance of winning a category. Of course there are many, many variables, but it did give me an idea of the scale of book awards.

I know my books are not Pulitzer Prize level work. But I do believe my books have a niche that makes them important. Preserving history is one of them.

I will continue working, continue trying to make history and the past come alive for young people. And I continue to work because I know there will be a time I won’t be able to put words on the paper, I won’t be able to remember the stories I hold inside of me.