IWG author Jamie Carie a USA Book News 2007 Winner

USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS” 2007 AWARDS today. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print, audio books & courses, e-books and interactive CD-ROMs. Awards were presented for titles published in 2007 and late 2006. Snow Angel by Jamie Carie won in the Fiction & Literature: Religious Fiction category.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USABookNews.com, said this year’s contest yielded an unprecedented number of entries, which were then narrowed down to over 500 winners and finalists. Winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape: Simon & Schuster, Penguin-Putnam, HarperCollins, Random House, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Co., John Wiley & Sons & hundreds of independent titles contributed to this year’s outstanding BBA competition.

Carie’s novel has been receiving stellar reviews--including notice in Romantic Times Magazine and The Library Journal. Reltz Reviews out of Australia claims: “Snow Angel captured my imagination from beginning to end. It is an epic romance with fast paced intrigue and an emotional intensity rarely achieved. Jamie Carie's gifted characterization is of a caliber expected from a multi-published author not one writing her debut novel. Prepare to be swept away by this powerful tale of love and sacrifice and become a devoted reader of anything Jamie Carie pens in the future.”

Jamie Carie will be signing copies of her award winning book at bookstores across Indiana. A complete calendar of book signings can be found at www.jamiecarie.com.

Jamie Carie, an Indiana native, is pleased her book has won a National Book Award. "It is so exciting to watch everything that is happening with Snow Angel. It’s like sending your child into the world and then feeling so proud by what they accomplish. I am honored to win in this category."

Snow Angel, as well as Carie’s second book, The Duchess and the Dragon, are available at Borders, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, Christian bookstores everywhere and online at Amazon and CBD

A complete list of the winners and finalists of the The USA Book News Best Books 2007 Awards are available at http://www.usabooknews.com/bestbooksawards2007.html

IWG author Debra Kemp Earns 2nd National Book Award Nomination

Indy Writers' Group Member and author Debra A. Kemp of Noblesville, Indiana was named a finalist for the USA BookNews Best Books 2007 awards for her historical novel The House of Pendragon II: The Recruit, Amber Quill Press, January 2007.

Kemp's novel, the second in a series based on the legendary stories of King Arthur, has been garnering a lot of attention lately. Earlier this year The Recruit earned recognition as a finalist in the The National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards and has been receiving stellar book reviews--including a Book Sense Recommended Read by Heartland Review. Renditions of Camelot named it Book of the Month in April 2007. And The Recruit is a featured selection for the 5th Annual Holiday Author Fair hosted by the Indiana Historical Society, and will take place on December 1, 2007 in downtown Indianapolis.

Debra Kemp, an Indiana native, is pleased her book has placed as a finalist for a National Book Award. "It's a validation for all the work that has gone into my House of Pendragon series so far. The nation's best books compete for these awards. I'm honored to be a finalist."

The House of Pendragon II: The Recruit, as well as Kemp's award-winning first book in the series, The House of Pendragon I: The Firebrand are available at Borders Bookstore in Carmel, or online at amazon.com and direct from Amber Quill Press: http://amberquill.com/bio_Kemp.html

Debra Kemp is available for television, radio, and press interviews nationwide to talk about her award winning historical novels. She can be reached at: FerchArthur@aol.com

A complete list of the winners and finalists of the The USA BookNews Best Books 2007 Awards are available at http://www.usabooknews.com/bestbooksawards2007.html

Way to go, Debra! We're proud of you.

IWG

Ten Questions: Laura

Within the ranks of IWG, we’ve got some really cool authors that we’d like you to meet. From time to time we like to select a different IWG member to answer the same 10 questions about writing. With our vast variety of IWG members, there is always another facet of writing to learn about and experiences to draw from.

The next interview in this series is Laurelei Dabrielle. Laurelei’s first book In Her Service: Reflections from a Priestess of Aphrodite was released last month. Laurelei is a pagan author whose primary genre is spiritual non-fiction books, but she also earns a living as a freelance writer. What follows is a magical and mystical interview from this inspiring new author.


Much Love,
Kate Chaplin
President of IWG

Question 1:
What is your favorite word?
quixotic

Question 2:
What is your least favorite word?
conformity

Question 3:
What types of writing have you experimented with? (examples: poetry, novels, short stories, freelance, screenplays, plays, children’s picture books, etc)
I think I’ve experimented with all of the above. Spiritual/Pagan non-fiction is my primary genre at this point, but I am also working on a fantasy novel, an historical fiction novel, and a children’s book. I earn a living through freelance copywriting, and I have written both poetry and plays in the past. I’ve covered it all, I suppose.

Question 4:
Who is your favorite author?
JRR Tolkien

Question 5:
What do you love most about writing?
I love allowing the force of creation to flow through me. When I write, I feel like I am sharing higher ideals and ideas – concepts I don’t necessarily think I could have tapped into on my own. I love when my Muse is present.

Question 6:
What to you dislike most about writing?
Trying to keep myself focused is the thing I most dislike. I have too many projects and too many interests. I want to bounce from one to the other, but that means that I have stacks of unfinished books. I’ve been working on one project since 1997!

Question 7:
Describe your ideal writing spot.
My ideal writing spot doesn’t exist yet. I want a sunny room with white walls and lavender curtains. Think: shabby chic decorating sense. Somehow, I imagine it to be on the upper floor of a house. Since no such room exists (or could be created) in my shady, woodland, single story home, I usually settle for plunking away on my laptop on the living room couch.

Question 8:
How many hours a week do you spend on your writing? (Note: submissions and promotions count too)
Since I fund my spiritual writing habit with freelance commercial writing, I probably spend 40 hours per week engaged in writing and promotion of one variety or another.

Question 9:
What inspires your writing?
My experience inspires my writing. My spirituality is intimately linked to my daily life, and absolutely everything that I write (freelancing excepted) touches and is touched by my spiritual experience.

Question 10:
Writing wise, what is your biggest accomplishment?
To date, my biggest accomplishment in writing is the book I’ve nearly finished. In Her Service: Reflections from a Priestess of Aphrodite is my first published book, and I am very excited about it.



About Laurelei:
Laurelei Dabrielle is a Pagan author and Priestess. She leads a coven as a teacher and counselor, and she has contributed to some of the larger Pagan magazines and journals. She writes about Aphrodite, Brighid, Dragons, and living a magical life every day.



Links to Laurelei’s material:
www.geocities.com/dragons_eye_coven/writing.htm,

In Her Service: Reflections from a Priestess of Aphrodite

Publications:
PanGaia, newWitch, Circle Magazine, In Her Service: Reflections from a Priestess of Aphrodite