Susan's Musings: BOOK AWARDS--ARE THEY RIGHT FOR YOU?

Susan's Musings: BOOK AWARDS--ARE THEY RIGHT FOR YOU?:                                                                       I'm setting at my desk with an application for The Best Book Aw...

BOOK AWARDS--ARE THEY RIGHT FOR YOU?

                                                                     

I'm setting at my desk with an application for The Best Book Awards on my desk. The entry form is filled out and the check is attached to the top.
As I always do, I read the website one more time to see what I would actually GET if I'm a winner.
A mention on their website and a chance to BUY certificates and BUY stickers that say I'm a winner.

The website also says the FINAL deadline to enter is September and the winners will be announced in November. I added up all of the postings and their adds and realized at this point over 9000 books have been entered. Now remember, these are just my figures.

They don't actually say who the judges are, but there would have to be hundreds to read all these entries in a month. Do you think they actually read them?

I began my search to see if I could find more evidence to support my own findings or if I was only getting cold feet about letting go of the entry fee of $69.

 I visited the Alliance of Independent Authors, and they have many contests rated, I suggest you go there before you enter this or any other contest. Two other good resources to see if the accolade you hope to receive is on the up and up are Winning Writers and Editors and Predators.
If you have researched any of these contests and awards, leave your input in the comments below.
susankeenebooks@gmail.com

This blog has been inactive due to a family crisis. From now on you can expect an entry every week

An interview with author Lois Curran

http://www.amz

I met Lois Curran at the Ozarks Romance Authors last year and we met again when she joined Sleuths-Ink Mystery writers.  We hit it off right away. Lois’ debut novel, Destined to Love Again came out last month on Amazon.  I read it and recommend it highly.

Lois writes Christian fiction. Let’s take a look at what she has to say about her genre, writing and life in general.

Tell us about your novel, Destined to Love again.

Lois: It is a cozy Christian romance novel. It is much the same as any cozy romance only it is faith based.

What is the setting for Destined… and what inspired you to write it?

Lois: It takes place in Tampa. The idea grew from my nursing background. I developed the main character, Abby as an RN who leaves home to get away from painful memories and takes a position as a school nurse in a prestigious boarding school.

I love the cover. Did you design it yourself?

Lois: No, it was designed by Jaycee Delorenzo at Sweet ’N spicy Designs. I highly recommend her.

Do you write full time?

 Lois: In January, I gave up my fulltime job as Director of Nursing at my county’s Health Department.  I cut down to two days a week which gives me more time to write and do all the other things I love.

Speaking of things you love, tell us some of your favorite pastimes?

Lois: Scrapbooking, traveling, crossword puzzles and of course reading are at the top of my list.

Tell me five things you would like your readers to know about you.

Lois :  They should know that I also write suspense. My new book is about ready and I hope it will be published soon. I took violin lessons for five years and I’m a chronic dieter. I have dieted off and on my entire life. If I hadn’t dieted I’d weigh five hundred pounds by now. The beach Is my favorite travel destination. I live in Missouri but I grew up in Salem, Oregon.  My favorite romance writer is Terri Blackstock but I have many more.

Thanks Lois. If you would like to see Lois’ book just follow this link

http://amzn.to/2hdSVNs    

Blub from Destined to Love Again 

On the heels of a breakup from her long-time boyfriend, whom she now questions she ever really loved him, Abby Dennison leaves Orlando for Tampa. She walks away from the painful memories and a situation she knows displeases God.

In Tampa she takes a position as a school nurse in a prestigious boarding academy. She needs a second chance at life but doesn’t want a second chance at love. Then the school handy-man Sam shows gentle persistence and steady goodness as he tries to persuade her to go out with him.

She can’t deny the attraction, but she’s not ready to take the risk of dating someone new. Her heart needs to heal. She wonders if God might be preparing a future for her with the handsome Sam Ford.…However, is she willing to let go of the past to allow herself to love again?

A Visit With Tierney James and The Dark Side of Morning.

Today I am honored to have Tierney James as my guest. Tierney writes those books you stay up late to read. Take a few minutes and learn about the lady behind Lipstick and Danger.

I love museums, especially those dedicated natural history. One of my favorite subjects concerns Native Americans. That’s probably because my parents and grandparents took me to the Smokey Mountains when I was thirteen. Having grown up in Illinois I’d never seen the mountains and certainly never any Native Americans. Once on the Qualla Reservation of the Cherokee People, among the beautiful mountains and streams, I felt I had been transported to Nirvana. It was then that my grandfather led me to speak to an elderly Cherokee man that spoke little English. I was introduced to him and I swear his warm smile touched me all the way to my bones. He spoke in their native tongue as he laid a hand on my shoulder. Something magical happened inside me. My whole being changed in a flash. 

Years later I student taught on that same reservation in a fourth grade classroom. I lived in a Cherokee Children’s Home and had nine little sisters, that to this day, I love very much. Some I’ve managed to stay in touch with over the years. My life turned yet another corner. I didn’t have a car so I rode the bus with the students each day. There are a lot of funny stories about a mid-western white girl plunged into an amazing culture that enriched my life.

Which brings me to writing. Dark Side of Morning involves a Pawnee culture from 200 years ago. The twist is that it comes knocking on 2017 with some disastrous results. Can you imagine stepping through a portal into another universe? What would be different? Here is a snippet of what to expect.

Dark Side of Morning by Tierney James http://amzn.to/2ieQx6x

Dr. Cleopatra Sommers never came to terms with her father’s disappearance at the Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He had been a Native American scholar that explored avenues of unexplained spiritual paths in their cultures.  The museum had been her home and playground growing up where her father spent long hours working. She was always drawn to one display case holding a mannequin of a Pawnee Indian. There was no way she could know he watched her all those years until the night he crossed over to find her.

Detective Jacque Marquette suspected the beautiful doctor of stealing priceless artifacts from a Native American exhibit. He realized after meeting his identical twin from another time and place, Dr. Sommers might not be as crazy as he initially thought. The layers of concern for his city begin to stack up as he is caught between culture and the Pentagon. Only with the help of a Pawnee warrior from two hundred years ago, can save his city from a deadly disease brought in from a parallel universe.

Wind Dancer had loved the little girl who grew up before him for years. When he decided to cross over to prevent his enemy from finding Dr. Sommers, the bombardment of changes forced him to rely on the ways of the past to survive. Navigating the future proves to be complicated as he teams up with a grumpy detective to hunt down a common enemy. No one expected the price to be sacrificing Dr. Sommers to the Morning Star in order to avert disaster.

You can find out more!

http://www.tierneyjames.com

http://www.facebook.com/TierneyJamesAction

Twitter: @TierneyJames1