Her name was Mrs. Manderson. Tall, slim, and brunette, Mrs. Manderson was an elementary school teacher. But not just any elementary school teacher. Nope. Mrs. Manderson had a rare knack for opening windows into worlds unknown via books.
She was probably the best teacher I ever had. She was certainly the most memorable. Especially when I was in “Mrs. M.’s” fourth grade class.
You know we’re pretty picky when it comes to books, right? Like, we have Standards. Submission Guidelines. And we chuck out tons of bookish junk all the time, like the neighbor’s cat hawks up hairballs.
But we also have favorites. And not just books or genres. In fact, we have some fave authors we want to tell you about. Cuz today we’re awarding The Biggest Bow Wow of them all:
What? You haven’t heard of this prestigious honor? Maybe that’s cuz I, Kimber, just made it up.
Well, okay. Mom helped. A little. She lobbied for “World’s Most Super Duper, Seriously Splendid, Extra Excellent, Terrifically Talented, Genuine Genius-y, and All-Around Awesome Author Awards.”
I nixed that. After all. Someone has to be the adult in the room.
Where was I? Oh yeah. The Kimber Awards. … Continue reading
Hang around Booklandia for any length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – and you know that authors whose books have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize pretty much have their tickets punched for the rest of their authorly lives. Cuz the Pulitzer Prize is a Big Deal. (Not as big as our PAWsome Book Awards, of course. Nobody can top that.)
But wait a minute. What about worthy books that shoulda won a Pulitzer but didn’t?
You’re an author looking for a thoughtful, quality review of your latest magnum opus. You’re a book reviewer looking for thoughtful, quality books to review. You’re both looking for some cred. Some traction. Where do you go?
That can be a challenge. It depends on several factors, including – but not limited to – how hard you want to work and how much you want to pay or be paid. But another key question is whether or not your work will get the quality attention and exposure you want. After all, it takes a lot of work, time and effort to write books or book reviews. So where can you go to get the most “bang for your buck”?
“Strong writing” is somewhat subjective. Pose the question to 100 book reviewers or authors and you’re likely to get 100 different responses. Or variations on a theme.
So what do we mean by “strong writing” in fiction? Glad you asked. Here’s the 4-1-1 (the short version):
One of us used to feel a teensy twinge when an author complained about a negative book review. For a lousy book.
Now she just laughs:
Newsflash, Cupcake: We do honest reviews here. We’ve panned Pulitzer Prize winners we thought weren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. We’ve also heaped praise on unknown indie authors who earn it. So don’t whine about a negative review. You sound like the “wah-wah” adult in Peanuts.
Cuz guess what, Toots? We So. Don’t. Care.
Now that we’ve got that outta the way, buckle up. Cuz it’s time for another rip roarin- edition of Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky Awards. Cuz, holy Meow Mix! You don’t want to waste your valuable time on lousy snoozers that make fish wrap look delish, right? We already did that. So you don’t have to. You’re welcome. (Note: We received complimentary copies of most of these titles in exchange for honest reviews.)
Here’s the short list of qualifications for a Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky award:
The Smartest Member of the Family. (Don’t tell Kimber I said that, okay? I’ll never hear the end of it.)
Mom and I were nosing through Draft Posts That Never Saw The Light of Day recently. (Well, I was nosing. Her Momness was … um… snoozing.) Anyway, we found this post that we thought deserved a second chance. It’s about being a writer. Kind of.
So here ya go. You’re welcome:
“I Chose You” author Carmen Leal.
By Carmen Real
Author of I Chose You, Imperfectly Perfect Rescue Dogs and Their Humans.
Winner of our first-ever Pawsome Book Award.
Take it away, Carmen:
***
On June 18, 2015, an inattentive driver in a large SUV slammed into our small Subaru leaving me with a concussion and moderate frontal and temporal traumatic brain injury. As cliched as it is, everything changed in an instant. I went from loving my job as a concierge in Hawaii creating dream vacations for guests to dreading having to deal with people because of the never-ending level ten migraines.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“I know these dogs!” saith Kimber the Magnificent. “They’re my BFFs!”
Her Momness: “Okay, Kimmi. But everyone’s your BFF.”
Kimber: “So?”
So…. You’ve heard of the Pulitzer Prize? The Newbery Medal? The Nobel Prize? Small potatoes, bub. They’re nothing next to the Official Mom-Tested, Kimber-Approved Pawsome Book Award.
“What’s a Pawsome Book Award?” you ask. Good question. It’s like sunshine on a cloudy day. Birthdays. The first day of summer vacation. Christmas morning. BFFs. All rolled into one.
Reserved for the top one percent (that’s 1% for those in the back) of all books read, the Pawsome Award is our highest honor.
I Chose You is the first-ever recipient of this prestigious award. Here’s why:
Kimber here. Reminding some of you newbies about a Totally PAWsome new author we found last year-ish. Name’s Rogers. Rick Rogers. (Works best said with a tux and a martini. Shaken. Not stirred.)
Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. New author.
Rick Rogers, author of “Walking Home.”
About a year ago-ish, we posted a review of Rick’s memoir, Walking Home: Common Sense and Other Misadventures on the Pacific Crest Trail. Since we’re such whizzes at original titles, our post was entitled, Walking Home Charts an Unforgettable Trip on the PCT. It’s our favorite PCT-ish read ever.
So when Rick contacted us recently with a guest-ish post, we jumped at it. Like:
Prompted by a recent author interview with Sharon Brubaker, Rick’s post is all about writing and the writing craft. You’ll love this. Trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong? (Well. Okay. There was that one time with the prime rib. But I think Mom’s forgotten about that by now.)
Anyway, just swipe the nearest burger off your human’s plate when they aren’t lookin’ and settle in for an insightful and engaging read. Take it away, Rick!
Pages & Paws 