My extrans wanderings are almost at an end, which means our poor neglected Warpworld blog will soon come back to life. But I had to take a moment out of my travels to share some news.
Today Josh and I learned that Warpworld Vol.1 won an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Eric Hoffer Book Awards (Commercial Fiction category). The Eric Hoffer Awards recognize excellence in independently published books–something I support with much waving of arms and yelling of "WHOOP!" Since I did not expect a science fiction novel to even make it onto the shortlist, this Honorable Mention comes as both a shock and, well, an honor.
Warpworld Vol. 1 was also a finalist for the Montaigne Medal, which came as another happy surprise. Judges in each category nominate books they feel either illuminate, progress, or redirect thought. Though we didn’t win, we were thrilled to be singled out for this extra distinction.
Yahoo?
Well, what all this means, when you get right down to it, is that Josh and I had a happier-than-normal Monday and now our print books will come with a shiny gold sticker. (Sticker! Yay!)
There’s nothing wrong with awards and, as a goal-fixated over-acheiver, I love the power of competition to force me to up my game. Not all awards are created equal, however, and even the biggest in the SF/F world do not come without controversy. I prefer awards that are judged as opposed to popular vote (hello, popular does not always equal better) but even judged awards can come down to personal bias. (I say this as a writer who has judged a few writing competitions). So, yes, Josh and I are pleased with our little flirt with award greatness but no shiny medal can ever compare with those four little words from our readers: "I loved your book!"
Many thanks to the judges and organizers of the 2014 Eric Hoffer Awards but just as many thanks to you, our readers, who are the real reason we chain ourselves to our keyboards year after year.
Blood for water.
~ Kristene
