2014 ABNA Judging - Update #2

I blogged last week about how I was finishing up my quarterfinal judging for this year's Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  Today was our due date. I'm happy to say that I finished everything in time and am happy to probably just watch some bad tv for the next few days.  I DO however, have some excellent books just waiting to be read this weekend... *grins*

So, like last year and the year before and the year before...well, you get the idea... I can't actually tell you what I've read.  I can, however, give you a little teaser for each and then you can all wait with me to see how they do in the next round! 

Novel 1 - A college student discovers that she can manipulate the elements.  Now she's being hunted for her powers and if she can't band together with one aggravating/cute boy, she may not survive to get her degree...

Novel 2 - A high fantasy about a man who can travel between worlds.  When a dragon egg is stolen and brought to our world he must return it or risk both worlds falling to ruin...

Novel 3 - A dystopian set in a snow-covered London.  A stranger enters a small, self-sufficient community of survivors and brings danger into their cozy world. 

Novel 4 - A horror story about a serial killer targeting a neighborhood to create an artistic vision that will shock the world...

Novel 5 - A dieselpunk adventure set in an alternate Prohibition-Era Chicago where the gods topple Capone only to bring ruin to the City as they try to grab power for themselves... 

This year, I was pleased that I really enjoyed two of the books! Enough that I would love to read sequels for them both.  I can only hope that someday I can...      

So, until next year, I'm officially done with ABNA... *wipes forehead and grins*

The 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Winner Was Announced!

Though I did not personally review this book at all, I'm so excited to see that a YA book took the grand prize at this year's ABNA contest.  So cool, I just had to share! 

Here's the official press release:

Rysa Walker Named Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Walker, author of the young adult fiction novel Timebound, receives a $50,000 advance and publishing contract with Amazon Publishing

SEATTLE—June 15, 2013—(NASDAQ:AMZN)—The votes are in and Amazon customers have chosen Rysa Walker of Carey, N.C. as the Grand Prize winner of the sixth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest for her young adult novel Timebound. The award was announced this evening during a ceremony at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Timebound will be released October 22, 2013 by Skyscape—an imprint of Amazon Children’s Publishing—and Walker will receive a $50,000 advance in addition to her publishing contract.

Walker’s Timebound was inspired by her love of history and science fiction and explores how the choices we make affect our future. In the novel, 17-year-old Kate learns that she’s inherited a genetic license to time travel when her grandmother shares a strange blue medallion, an even stranger tale about future historians, and the unshakeable conviction that the fate of half the planet lies in Kate’s hands. The book is now available for pre-order in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/abna.

The remaining four category winners, Ken Moraff (General Fiction, It Happened in Wisconsin), Jo Chumas (Mystery/Thriller, The Hidden), Evelyn Pryce (Romance, A Man Above Reproach) and J. Lincoln Fenn (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, POE), each received publishing contracts from Amazon Publishing with a $15,000 advance. Their books will also be released in print and Kindle formats in the fall and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

“Rysa’s novel is one of those up-til-dawn reads that you just can't put down, so it’s no surprise Amazon customers gave her this award,” said Daphne Durham, Editor-in-Chief, Amazon Publishing. “We are looking forward to sharing all of the 2013 ABNA winners’ books with readers this fall.”

Amazon Publishing is the publishing arm of Amazon.com. Amazon Publishing is composed of ten imprints: AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, 47North, Little A, Amazon Children’s Publishing (Skyscape & Two Lions), Grand Harbor Press and Amazon Publishing. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.apub.com. Amazon Publishing is a brand used by Amazon Content Services, LLC.

The 2013 ABNA contest was hosted by Amazon’s CreateSpace, an independent publishing platform enabling authors to create, publish and distribute their books in print worldwide.

For the complete Official Rules for the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and more information, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

So very, very cool. Congrats to all the winners, especially Rysa Walker! 

The 2012 ABNA Young Adult Fiction Winner!

I'm so happy! So happy, you guys!!

They announced the winner of the 2012 ABNA Young Adult Fiction contest and the entry that I reviewed early on in the contest, On Little Wings, won the division! It was a touching, well written read that I will review here at a later date, and I am so glad it won! :)

Here's the official announcement:

Amazon and Penguin Group (USA) Name Alan Averill and Regina Sirois Winners of 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest


Averill, author of “The Beautiful Land,” and Sirois, author of “On Little Wings,” receive publishing contracts and a $15,000 advance from Penguin Group (USA)

SEATTLE & NEW YORK—June 16, 2012—Amazon.com customers around the world cast their votes and this evening, Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace announced the winners of this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) at a special ceremony held at The Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Alan Averill is the Grand Prize winner in the general fiction category for his novel, “The Beautiful Land,” while Regina Sirois was awarded the Grand Prize in the young adult fiction group for her novel, “On Little Wings.” Both authors have received a publishing contract from Penguin Group (USA) that includes a $15,000 advance. “The Beautiful Land” and “On Little Wings” will be published by Berkley Books and Viking Books for Young Readers, respectively. The novels are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/abna.

This year's competition drew thousands of submissions from aspiring writers around the world – the most entries in the history of the contest. Through several rounds of judging, six finalists rose to the top. An expert panel of authors, agents and editors weighed in with comments on the finalists’ work, and in the end, Amazon.com customers voted to select the winners.
 
“Today's winners were chosen by Amazon.com customers, which is one thing that makes ABNA so special,” said Nader Kabbani, Director of Independent Publishing at Amazon. “This contest not only recognizes talented authors but also connects them directly with readers looking to discover great new writers. We congratulate Alan and Regina, whose work clearly resonated with customers.”
 Tim McCall, Penguin Group (USA) Vice President of Online Sales and Marketing said, “Penguin is always looking for talented new writers to bring to our readers. We were thrilled to see the many promising manuscripts entered in this year’s competition by writers who aspire to be published by Penguin. We look forward to publishing Alan’s and Regina’s novels.”

Hailing from Seattle, Alan Averill, a former “video game script doctor,” wrote a draft of “The Beautiful Land” as a part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a movement that challenges writers to complete a novel in 30 days. “The Beautiful Land” is a story of two people in love from the moment they met but destined to be apart forever. Thanks to a time machine and a mysterious invention buried deep in the Australian Outback, they now have one more chance to get it right. One customer reviewer writes: “From the opening statement to the last quote, [it] had me excited all the way through. The prose is strong, descriptive in a quirky way, charming, and unique. The characters are extremely memorable. I can't wait to read how they will be interacting with one another later in the story.”


Regina Sirois was born and raised outside of Kansas City. She minored in Creative Writing, but never found the right inspiration for a story until she became the mother of two girls. “On Little Wings” is her first novel. In it, 16-year-old Jennifer’s discovery of an aunt she never knew existed reunites her family and provokes love and forgiveness. One customer reviewer writes: “…some of the most exquisite writing I've seen in a VERY long time. Any given sentence, paragraph or scene was sublime.”

Now in its fifth year, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest is an international contest co-sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace. For the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest Official Rules, to view the winning excerpts and reviews, or pre-order the novels, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

I highly recommend if you get a chance that you check out the excerpt from On Little Wings. It was a standout for sure. I'm pleased to be hosting an interview with author, Regina Sirois, here on the blog soon, too, to discuss her experience participating in the ABNA contest.