I’m proud to announce that A Talent Within has been selected as a finalist in both the debut novel and sci-fi/fantasy categories of the 2024 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards, called the Goldies.
There were 46 nominations in the sci-fi/fantasy category alone. Many of them from big publishers like Macmillan/Tor. It is humbling to see my book as a finalist against a lot of books I’ve read and enjoyed. If you’re curious, here is the complete list of nominees and the list of finalists.
I can tell you, there are no shortcuts to writing a book. A Talent Within came about through sheer determination and constant writing and re-writing. I worked for five years on the novel, including attending a year long writing academy and being assigned a mentor, author Barbara Ann Wright. Then, publisher Bold Strokes Books was willing to take a chance on an unknown author in a very niche novel segment.
Awards aren’t known to boost book sales, but they do give inspiration to authors like me, who want to write more stories and write them well.
Thanks to everyone who has read A Talent Within, and to the judges who decided it was worthy of finalist status.
I’ll know the results on July 14, 2024. Keep your fingers crossed.
