Best Story of the Year Goes To A Darling Secret!

I'm delighted to announce that A Darling Secret won Best Story of the Year from Fantasia Reviews! I'm incredibly honored to win this title for the second year in a row. Thank you to everyone who has read my books and supported me. You guys rock!

J.D. Estrada's Top Books of 2016

I love J.D. Estrada's booktube videos. They are funny, witty, no nonsense videos with a hint of quirk. Today he posted a new video of his top 10 books of 2016. Get your pen and paper ready because he has some great recommendations.

As I was watching I was delighted that he chose Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds for his list! What a truly wonderful surprise :) You can watch the video below. Don't forget to subscribe to J.D.'s channel.

Fantasia Reviews - Best Story of the Year

This morning I learned that Fantasia Reviews named The Nightmare Birds Best Story of the Year! I am incredibly honored and thrilled to have even been nominated. What a truly wonderful thing to wake up to on New Year's Day. I am especially touched by these remarks:

"While both Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds are fantastic, we believe The Nightmare birds to be superior, which is quite the feat for a sequel."

"Miss Winters advances Daisy to the point of almost being real."

"While Miss Winters is a talented writer, her greatest gift is her ability to weave a
believable and beautiful tale."

You can read more about the awards and check out the other nominees here. Congratulations to all my fellow winners!

Thank you so much to Fantasia Reviews for honoring The Nightmare Birds with this award!

The Nightmare Birds Is A Book of the Year Nominee!

The Nightmare Birds is a Fantasia Reviews Book of the Year contender!!!

I'm so incredibly honored that my book was nominated. It seriously means the world to me that people are enjoying my stories. For all of you who've supported me by reading my books, writing reviews, or even reading this blog post, a great big THANK YOU!!! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Until the winner is unveiled at the end of December (fingers crossed!), please take a look at some of the other books in contention for this prize.

Cybils Award Nominee and Featured Guest

Happy Friday! I'm so pleased to share two pieces of exciting news today:

The first... 

The Nightmare Birds is a 2016 Cybils Award Nominee in the Young Adult Speculative Fiction category.

This is my face right about now.

This is so incredibly exciting and I greatly appreciate those who nominated my book!

Winners aren't announced until next year, but I'll be keeping close tabs on this and will definitely be posting updates.

This brings me to my next piece of news. Angela B. Chrysler, author of Broken, has graciously posted a special feature of The Nightmare Birds on her site, which includes an excerpt of the first chapter. So, if you haven't read it yet, please check it out! Coincidentally, I'm running a Kindle Countdown Deal for both Strange Luck and The Nightmare Birds, which starts today, so both books will be only 0.99 cents for the next couple of days.

Cthulhu, Books, Pet Shop Santa, and Irish Stout

 
It's been a long time since I've read one of the greats -- H.P. Lovecraft. The thought of reading one of his horror stories sounded quite cozy given the weather, so I just started reading The Lurker At The Threshold. I CANNOT PUT IT DOWN! Lovecraft really has a way of getting in your head and staying there. As I'm writing this, I'm rushing so I can get back to the book. If you enjoy watching horror movies, pretty much any movie that's based on an H.P. Lovecraft story is awesome (I've seen them all). My favorites are In The Mouth of Madness, Dagon, and Re-Animator. In case you're wondering, Cthulhu is my favorite monster :)   

Xmas came early! A 5 Star review of Strange Luck from Readers' Favorite certainly made my day. Please check it out and comment.

Loki visited Santa for the first time. He'll do anything for food and attention, so sitting on the sled with a strange man in a red suit wasn't the least bit difficult. Don't know if that's a good or bad thing...

I just started brewing my own beer today! I'm using the True Brew Irish Stout ingredient kit and am planning to call the beer "Winters' Brew." When done, there will be 5 GALLONS OF BEER! Hopefully it'll be worth it ;)


Wishing you a happy holiday season and Happy New Year!  

Legit Book Awards & Contests for Self-Published Authors

You poured your blood, sweat, tears, and maybe a little vodka into your book. Now it’s time to showcase your efforts! I’ve put together some of the most notable and legit fiction book contests specifically for self-published authors to help you get out there and win some awards.

FREE Contests:

The Book Designer Monthly Ebook Cover Design Awards: This heavily trafficked site is definitely worthy of entering because there are no restrictions on publication date and it’s super easy to submit your cover. Restrictions: Your e-book must be published at the time of submission.

Library Journal SELF-e Book Awards:  Library Journal honors the best self-published e-books in the following genres: Romance, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. There’s one winner and two honorable mentions in each genre. Each genre winner receives $1,000.00. Restrictions: Although submissions for 2015 have already closed, this is a good one to keep in mind for 2016. In the meantime, you can submit your book to SELF-e. If selected via Library Journal’s SELF-e curation process, your e-book will become part of a unique discovery platform for participating public libraries across the U.S. that enables patrons to read e-books on any device, at any time. This free service is available to all self-published authors, no matter which self-publishing service(s) you use.

The Guardian Legend Self-Published Book of the Month:  The Guardian is the first national newspaper to champion self-publishing on a regular basis. The prize has been created with Legend Times, an award-winning independent publishing group, with companies including traditional fiction publisher Legend Press and a self-publishing company New Generation Publishing." Restrictions: Open to UK Residents only.

The Bram Stoker Awards: Each year, the Horror Writer's Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Bram Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization's incorporation in 1987. Awards are annual. Restrictions: If you wish to submit your work for Jury consideration, you must follow the special guidelines based on the type of work you're submitting (e.g., YA novel, long fiction, etc.).

Contests That Charge a Fee:

Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards: Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. This self-published competition, co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. Restrictions: There are different fees and deadlines based on the type of contest you’re entering (e.g. poetry, self-published, popular fiction, etc.). Contests run throughout the year so there’s bound to be something that suites you and your book.

The IPPY Awards:  Book awards are open to independent authors worldwide. Winners get a ton of exposure, notably through Publisher’s Weekly publications and emails. New categories this year include Cover Design - Fiction and Cover Design - Non-Fiction.

Eric Hoffer Award for Independent Books: One of the largest international book awards for small and independent presses. The Hoffer Award recognizes excellence in publishing with a $2,000 grand prize and various category honors and press type distinctions, as well as Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, and First Horizon awards.

Benjamin Franklin Awards:  Administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the Benjamin Franklin Awards are unique in that all entrants receive direct feedback on their entries. Indie publishers and self-published authors are invited to enter. The inclusive program includes fifty-five categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design.

Readers’ Favorite:  They accept manuscripts, published and unpublished books, e-books, audio books, comic books, poetry books and short stories in 100+ genres. There is no publication date requirement or word count restriction. Entries are accepted worldwide.

You can also check out Published to Death and Creative Writing Contests With No Entry Fees for additional opportunities.

Want even more contests? Try researching writing contests specific to your state (and sometimes city), as well as your age,  writing genre, and first time author opportunities. If you do decide to enter a paid contest not on this list, be sure to do your research first and ensure its sponsor is worthy of putting on your resume. Good luck!

Library Journal SELF-e Selection

I'm so excited to announce that Strange Luck is a Library Journal SELF-e selection!

This means that Strange Luck will now be available to libraries all over the country on BiblioBoard Library.  Woot!