The Combo

I'm a sucker for contests. Even an occasional raffle. As long as the price is right. And free I'm particularly fond of. Yes sirree, writing contests have the ability to occupy countless hours of my time if given the chance. Sad and yet so pathetically true. Several years ago, I entered a little somethin' in a contest Half Price Books had put together and found myself with a story published in the 12th edition (don't be frightened of the little guy with bulging eyes, missing feet, and hair in all the wrong places) . Wanna know the best part? The best, best, BEST part of it all was seeing MY words and the illustrators art work their magic together on the page(s) before my very eyes. Do you think oh, I don't know, say Dr. Seuss or any one of those super gigantic phenomenal authors ever grew accustom to that magical pairing that takes place between the pages of a picture book? I just wonder...