Subscriber News: July 2021
Recent Honors
Congratulations to Tara Campbell. Her fifth book of short stories, Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection, was published in June by Aqueduct Press. Watch the book trailer here. Publishers Weekly writes: "Coupling a leisurely pace with horrifying tension, these eerie stories feel designed to be shared in the dark around a campfire... Readers looking for bite-size horror will be delighted."
Congratulations to Michaela Brady. Her story "March 24th, 2020" won first prize in the short story category of the 2020-21 Nature Literary Contest sponsored by Tales for the Ones in Love, an international literary blog. The winners and finalists will be published in an anthology and on the website. This year's theme was finding hope in nature during the pandemic. The deadline was April 15. Michaela writes, "I discovered this contest via the Winning Writers newsletter, and greatly appreciate your team's efforts to keep your readers informed about contests and publication opportunities like this one."
Congratulations to Tammy Delatorre. Her essay "The Ties That Bind" was one of three winners of the inaugural CRAFT Creative Nonfiction Award and was published on their website. The most recent submission period for this $1,000 prize was November 1-December 31.
Congratulations to James Breeden. His novel Painting Angela won the 2018 Gas Station Pulp Award for literary crime noir and was published by North American Review. From the book blurb: "Jesse Hawkins arrives in New Orleans to make peace with his estranged brother. But Travis, a painter of beautiful nudes, has disappeared along with Angela, his latest lover and model. When Jesse learns she’s the daughter of a notorious crime boss, he fears for his brother's life."
Congratulations to Gerald Everett Jones. His eleventh novel, Harry Harambee's Kenyan Sundowner, won the Literary Fiction category of the Pinnacle Awards from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs. It is also a finalist for Adult Fiction in the President's Awards from the Florida Authors & Publishers Association (winners to be announced July 31). Including these wins, Jones has received nine awards in the last two years for his books, including both Winner (Gold) and Distinguished Favorite (Silver) in the NYC Big Book Awards in Mystery for his novels Preacher Finds a Corpse and Preacher Fakes a Miracle. Harry Harambee's Kenyan Sundowner is an intrigue set in present-day Kenya and was inspired by Jones's experiences in the two years he spent as a resident there. Find links to all his books on his website.
Recent Publications
Winning Writers Editor Jendi Reiter's poems "Close", "Soul Contract", and "Lower East Side Playground, 1974, 2014" were published in Atelier of Healing, a poetry anthology about trauma and recovery, edited by Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé and Eric F. Tinsay Valles. Read these poems online here.
Winning Writers contest judge Ellen LaFleche's poem "Global warming: 103 degrees with half moon rising" was featured in a virtual exhibit at Forbes Library in Northampton, MA. The exhibit's theme was "In This Together: A Virtual Exhibit on Planetary and Human Health", showcasing creative writing and artwork by Western Massachusetts residents. It will run from July 5-September 5.
Stuart Jay Silverman's second poetry collection, Report from the Sea of Moisture (Atmosphere Press), was favorably reviewed in The Pedestal Magazine by Shawn Pavey, who called it a "crafted, complex, and expertly curated collection...rich in allusions to classical mythology, literature, and art." He kindly shares a sample poem here.
Robert Paul Blumenstein published his fourth novel, Unwinding the Serpent, a speculative thriller about humanity's extraterrestrial origins.
Thelma T. Reyna, editor and publisher of the literary anthology When the Virus Came Calling: COVID-19 Strikes America (Golden Foothills Press, 2020), reports that the book was favorably reviewed in Quill & Parchment and was also honored as a 2020 Latino Book of the Year by Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Book Club.
Shobana Gomes's poetry collection Walking Through Beauty, Timeless Footsteps was released in June and is available on Amazon. She kindly shares a sample poem here.
Simon Peter Eggertsen's poems "I Wonder If Hawking Could Write a Few Elegant Equations?", "God Might Dwell at Wildwood", "Questions for David in the Presence of Death--Variations on a Ghazal+", and "of dementia nonsense before departing" were published in Weber: The Contemporary West (Spring 2021), the literary journal of Weber State University in Utah.
Peggy Kopman-Owens is offering reviewers free Audible downloads of the recently released audiobook versions of her "Paris Mysteries" novels. Add her as a friend on Goodreads, then private-message her through their system to request a review copy. Her 26 novels include The Promise Yposchesi, the first in the series "Seven Paris Mysteries", a 30-year saga of two best friends from university who spend their lives attempting to discover and hide each other's secrets in order to stay alive; the "Mrs. Duchesney Mysteries", which addresses social issues such as child marriage and violence against women; and the "Simon Pennington Mysteries" about sleuths tracking down stolen artwork. Visit her Amazon page for a full listing, and watch the book trailers on YouTube.
J. Paul Cooper's space opera novel Hunting Teddy Bears is available on Amazon.
Trina Porte's website, featuring her poetry and visual art, is part of the MN Jewish Artists Directory.
Elaine Abramson's diet book Our From Fat to Fabulous Journey was recommended in Christina Stock's lifestyles and recipes column in the Roswell Daily Record, a New Mexico newspaper, on January 10. Elaine's book series, based on personal experience, discusses how to lose weight by choosing the right meals in restaurants.
Published: July 8, 2021
