No kidding. I just won the 2008/09 Historical Fiction Award from the Independent Book Publishing Professional Group, part of their Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
I won the award for Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein, my historical novel about the life of Mary Shelley.
I'm so excited. I feel like I'm sharing good karma with Barack Obama.
Here's a blurb about the book:
REQUIEM FOR THE AUTHOR OF FRANKENSTEIN plunges readers into the life of Mary Shelley and her riveting encounters with Coleridge, Byron, Percy Shelley, Blake, and other luminaries of the Romantic Era. This large cast of colorful characters come fully to life in their 19th century landscape—Dwyer has given us Shelley’s world, from the dirty, scary streets of downtown London to the scenic countryside of Pisa and Lerici, the Italian fishing village where Percy Shelley lived before his fateful drowning. REQUIEM FOR THE AUTHOR OF FRANKENSTEIN sheds light on the revolutionary life and achievements of Mary Shelley, a gifted writer and independent woman far ahead of her time. But its more than a historical novel; the narrative swims back and forth across time as the reader follows modern day protagonist, Anna Trevor into a labyrinth of haunted dream corridors and, like Anna, must grapple with genuine questions about the relationship between dream and reality.
Here's a review: In fact, here's another review.
I'm usually more circumspect than this about tooting my own horn, but at the moment I'm pretty excited. Last week I was at the BookExpo America in Los Angeles promoting my book. Amy Goodman covered the Independent Booksellers down there. Apparently independent booksellers are beginning to make a comeback, and the award I just won is all part of the overall strategy to help independents stay alive, and consequently keep diversity in the marketplace. I'm very excited to be part of that. My book was published by a small Northern California Press, Cypress House (their fiction imprint is Lost Coast Press). We even used recycled paper.
The Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group, set up in 2005, is an organization that aims to promote professional standards in independent book publishing (also known as "indie" book publishing), and provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession.
We sponsor the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and in 2008 are creating an online community for independent book publishing professionals including publishers, authors, and other publishing professionals and supporters of the indie book publishing industry.
I'm going to be on the radio Saturday, out of Bristol, Virgina, if anyone happens to be interested, on the Barbara McFaddin Show, 10-11 am, (ET) 92.7 WFHG-AM Talk Radio. I've had a number of other interviews, including one on KPFA Berkeley, with Kris Welsh. It's about halfway through the program, so click about midway on the audio link if you want to hear it.
Update Thursday Evening: Thanks so much, everyone! I really appreciate all the good words and encouragement. Thanks to tonight's Rescue Rangers who deemed it fit to give me my fifteen minutes of DKOS fame! And since someone asked me for an online link to purchase, how could I resist? Here's one to Powells Books, a great independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon.