Authors and readers know that winning an award adds distinction to a book, and lends honor and prestige to the author. A flashy award sticker placed on the front cover of an award-winning book serves as a light-catcher and attracts the attention of potential readers, editors, print and broadcast media and publishers. At a glance, these light-catchers inform the reader that a book has been deemed worthy of an honor by those “in the know.” And winning means more sales!
That’s why it’s always an exciting time at PenPower Book Marketing Services when any of our authors receives an award for their efforts. This spring is no exception, as several of the talented authors we have the pleasure of working with have received high honors and praise for their books. We could not be any more proud!
Two of the authors we represent received nods from the acclaimed IPPY awards, and a first time children’s author received back to back Gold Awards from the highly esteemed Mom’s Choice Awards while another of our young adult authors also received a Silver Award from Mom’s Choice. Finally, another author is a winner in the Southwest Book Design and Production Awards sponsored by the New Mexico Book Association. As you can see, there’s a lot to celebrate, buy and read!
Bronze - Traveling Light, a novelita
Candelora Versace’s debut novelita centers around a group of friends with ties to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Oaxaca, Mexico in the nineties. Even as the friends spend their time in beautiful places, they find themselves struggling to face the truth about their complicated relationships, and the consequences of chasing their dreams. Traveling Light was honored with a Bronze Award in the 2019 IPPY West-Mountain – Best Regional Fiction Category.
Silver - Hopi Tea, a Murder Mystery
Kent F. Jacobs’ Hopi Tea is a murder mystery set in the World War II era in Fort Stanton, New Mexico, which was home to a German POW camp. When Border Patrol agent Tracker Dodds assumes control of the camp, he’s greeted by the body of a scalped German inmate floating in the swimming pool. From there, he must discover who and why the inmate was killed. Was it a fellow POW, or was the murderer from a nearby reservation? Hopi Tea was honored with a Silver Award in the 2019 IPPY West-Mountain – Best Regional Fiction Category.
Silver – The Imagination Warriors
Marc Romanelli’s imaginative debut is a young adult romp through time and space. When psychic cat Daisy May is invited to visit her owner’s niece, Philomena, in Lamy, New Mexico, it’s to investigate the mutable nature of several paintings in the town. Together with Philomena’s friend Noshi they learn that they can enter these paintings and travel to other places. But will they determine the cause for the strange nature of the paintings and be able to return home? The Imagination Warriors was awarded with a Mom’s Choice Silver Award.
Gold - Navigating Change
Christine Warren guides readers through the challenges of life in her spiritual self-help book, Navigating Change. By introducing them to her Four Phases of Change, Warren is able to use a blend of dynamic teachings, exercises, and accounts of others to help people turn difficult endings into new beginnings. Navigating Change was the winner of the Body, Mind & Spirit category in the 2019 Southwest Book Design and Production Awards sponsored by the New Mexico Book Association
Gold - The Rocking R Ranch Series
Not only has Connie Perez won a Mom’s Choice Gold Award for her picture books detailing life on a working ranch, she’s done it twice. Her first Gold was in February for Home on the Rocking R Ranch, which introduces young readers to life on a working ranch through vibrant paintings.
Her second Mom’s Choice Gold came in May when she was awarded it for the second book in the series, Kuper Visits the Rocking R Ranch, which introduces city boy Kuper as a new character spending a year at the ranch, taking readers on a series of adventures including a rodeo, cattle auction, visit to the New Mexico State Fair and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
In addition to the two Mom’s Choice Gold Awards, Connie Perez has also been honored as a finalist in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Learn more about the Mom’s Choice Awards at https://www.momschoiceawards.com, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards at https://indiebookawards.com.