It is POSSIBLE

 I just heard from a fellow author, Steve LeBel – for whom I did some beta-reading and reviewing – that his book The Universe Builders won the Grand Prize in the 2015 Writer’s Digest book contest, beating out every book in eight different categories! Writer’s Digest will publish an interview with him  in their May issue.  Winning comes with other prizes, too, including a $3,000 cash award.

He began 2014 with an unpublished manuscript and went on to publish both an ebook and a print book that reached best seller status on Amazon in three categories.  He attended lots of book signings and finished the year by winning the grand prize in a major book contest.

I’m not surprised, it was one of my favourite reads of 2014, and well-deserving of such an accolade.

Well done Steve, your success will inspire lots of other writers.

PS – can’t wait for book two!

 

Book Review – The Good Girl

The Good Girl – Mary Kubica

4/5 stars – Aside from the unusual style of writing, which took some getting used to, this story had me gripped until the end – with an ending that I did not expect in the slightest. Written from a variety of perspectives, it is both a suspenseful mystery and a tender romance.

Definitely an author to follow.

Synopsis (taken from Goodreads):

“I’ve been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don’t know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she’s scared. But I will.”
Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn’t show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.
Colin’s job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia’s mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family’s world to shatter.

 

 

 

 

 

How To Host a Virtual Book Tour

You published a book and set up a book tour at local booksellers. You are ready for a successful launch, right? Maybe. Another great marketing strategy to consider for authors is the virtual book t…

Source: www.authorpreneurmagazine.com

See on Scoop.it – Writing in the 21st Century

Top Ten Writing Mistakes Editors See Every Day

In addition to writing and teaching, one of the things I do for a living is to evaluate manuscripts for their suitability for publication. I read fiction (and non-fiction) across several genres, an…

Source: blottheskrip.wordpress.com

See on Scoop.it – Writing your first book

Survive The Holiday Party, Leave With Material

Got a rough holiday party coming up? No worries. LitReactor’s here for you with a game that’ll help get you through, and you might even collect some good material.

Source: litreactor.com

There’s a story to be found everywhere, you decide if it’s worth writing!

See on Scoop.it – Writing in the 21st Century

A Writer’s Gratitude List: 12 Things to be Thankful For

A largely humorous list of things to be grateful for as a writer.

Source: litreactor.com

See on Scoop.it – Writing your first book

Storyville: The Horror of Editing and Revision

It’s been said that the difference between a good writer and a great writer is editing. So let’s hop to it.

Source: litreactor.com

Editing = A necessary evil . Without it though, your book will surely flounder. 

See on Scoop.it – Writing your first book