No Limits Ladies.com

I'm a bit of a softie for long shot stories, ladies that took a risk and had it pay off. Maybe because my whole life has been a serious of long shots (nothing makes you work harder than being the underdog). So when I heard about American Title Finalist Helen Scott Taylor, I simply had to interview her.

Why was her finalling a long shot? Not for lack of talent. I'll let her explain.

"I nearly didn’t enter American Title because I thought I wouldn’t be eligible, as I don’t live in America. A friend told me to enter anyway as I had nothing to lose. Now I’m in the final round with a chance to win a publishing contract for my story The Magic Knot."

What has been the payoff for her thus far?

"I’ve gone through a promotional baptism of fire. A bit uncomfortable moving so far out of my comfort zone, but it has stretched me to learn to promote myself and put myself out there in a way I’d never have dreamed of doing before. I’m even being interviewed on live radio by the BBC next week. Before American Title that was a ‘not in my wildest dreams’ scenario."

Awesome attitude, Helen. Just finished Robin Sharma's Greatness Guide Book 2 and he's a big fan of stretching. One of my fave passages was "Eventually someone's going to do what you dream of doing. Why not you?" Why not, indeed.

How does she keep her supporters excited during the long, long voting process (similar to American Idol, there are rounds of voting)?

"I thought people would get jaded with the whole thing after about the third vote, but people have been wonderfully supportive and enthusiastic. The opposite has been true. My supporters have become more excited as I’ve progressed through the rounds. I want people to know how much I value the vote of each and every person. Without the wonderful friends, and a large number of Romantic Times readers, who’ve voted for me, I wouldn’t have made it through to the final two.

Voting on the fifth and final round, best romantic/love scene, runs from February 18th to March 2nd. Please check out the two final entries and vote for the one you like best—and if you chose my entry The Magic Knot—thank you very much for your support!"

To vote go to www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php .