I'm just one of the many here who rarely writes a diary, comments only occasionally, but reads daily—and I'm checking in tonight because tomorrow I'm heading to San Francisco to attend the 28th Annual Northern California Book Awards Ceremony. I'm going because my debut novel, Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein has been nominated for the Fiction Award, recognized as one of the five best works of fiction by a Northern California author published over the past year. I'm so honored.
The San Jose Mercury News wrote that I'm among "the Bay Area's Best and Brightest."
"If there were ever a shred of doubt that the Bay Area is a veritable wellspring of literary talent, one would need only to drop in on the gathering the Northern California Book Awards hosts every year to honor local authors and present six of them with prizes for the best-published works of the previous year."
Most recent words of praise came from a local bookseller who decided to read the book because of the nomination. She sent out her promotional newsletter with this in it:
"There's a book holding me in thrall this week. It's local author Molly Dwyer's novel, Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein: a big, ambitious, remarkably literate and deeply researched novel... that's also a genuinely scary and romantic ghost story. I'm not done yet, so don't tell me what happens."—Christie Olson-Day, Owner, Gallery Books, Mendocino, CA
On Amazon, I found this reader's review, which I have to say thrilled me:
Molly Dwyer's account of the life of Mary Shelley and her equally famous contemporaries, Lord Byron and Percy Shelley, is written in a way that transports the reader into the scenes where you are not so much an observer, but a participant. You feel like you are part of the story, almost like an added character, because of the vivid imagery and understanding of the real character's thoughts and feelings. I generally read at night to help me fall asleep, but I found that I kept reading into the night. I would set a limit of one chapter but found I would read at least two or three before I forced myself to turn out the light. I literally forgot I was reading and became immersed in the action and scenery of the story.
I think the reason I'm so honored and excited is my novel was published by a very small Northern California press, but it's competing for the honor with books that found their way to the big presses. The award also crosses genres; this is not an award for historical fiction, but an award for fiction. It's not an independent press award, but crosses all publishing houses. And it's San Francisco honoring its own. I'm so honored, so excited to be receiving this kind of recognition from The City I've always considered the heart of my life.
So anyway, I know this is simply tooting my own horn here, but if not now, when? This is the fulfillment of a life long dream: I'm getting recognition for a novel that took me nearly fifteen years to complete. I'm an author, midway through my second novel now—which is set in Paris during the mid-nineteenth century. It's about Romanticism and the lingering impact Mary and Shelley and Byron had on the next generation, and Mary Shelley makes a cameo appearance in it, an older Mary Shelley, close to her own death. It's called The Appassionata, and it's taking me to Paris in the fall.
So, wish me well, that's what why I'm writing. I'm on my way to my first awards ceremony, my first big recognition as an author and I'm overjoyed.
MORNING UPDATE:I beat the alarm up and am taking a few minutes to indulge before I begin racing around. Thanks to everyone for all the good wishes. I'll take them with me!