"Snapdragon" Has Advanced to the BookLife Prize Semifinals!
Thank you AGAIN, Publisher's Weekly!
Last week, I found out that my debut novel, Snapdragon, was one of the seventy-nine works chosen by Publisher's Weekly and BookLife to make it to the BookLife Prize Quarterfinals. Today, I found out that it was chosen as one of only thirty-five works across all categories and one of five novels in the romance/erotica category to make the Semifinals!
I'll be honest with you. When I read the initial review of the book, a not-so-glowing 7 out of 10, I wasn't optimistic that I would even be a contender for the award. The complaint seemed to be that my hero, Michael, was overly perfect (I guess they didn't get the memo that the second book in the series, Chrysalis, is told from Michael's POV and resolves any doubts as to his flaws...).
Yet, with new rounds come new readers and judges. Nine out of thirteen Quarterfinalists in the romance/erotica category scored better than me based on the numbers alone, but as new judges got their eyes on it, it's landed in the top five.
So, yeah. With the lowest score of all the Semifinalists, Snapdragon is a bit of an underdog, but it was in the last round, too. In other words, don't count it out just yet!
About the BookLife Prize
The BookLife Prize (the “Prize” or “Contest”) is an annual writing contest sponsored by BookLife and Publishers Weekly. The Prize seeks to support independent authors and discover great written works in seven categories: Romance/Erotica; Mystery/Thriller; Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror; General Fiction; Memoir/Autobiography; YA Fiction; and Middle-Grade Fiction. The Prize is judged by PW reviewers, editors, acclaimed authors, and publishing veterans, and awards are given to finalists in each category, with a grand cash prize of $5,000 going to the most outstanding finalist.