450 books, 106 judges, all over the world
Many, many submissions, from indie publishers, from mainstream publishers and self-published authors.
$12.313,92 donated to LGBT charities.
You can review the complete list of winners here, but I wanted to showcase the categories that I am always most excited about.
1. Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
2. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
3. Mia Kerick - The Princess of Baker Street
4. Mia Kerick - All Boy
5. Carla Grant - Uncommon Girls
I am so ridiculously happy for Katherine Wyvern! Muse was such a beautiful read, a work of art about the creation of art, and one that perfectly evokes an era, reading like a rediscovered Victorian manuscript that she has simply given a polish for a contemporary audience. I loved Grant's tale as well, but I'll get back to her in a moment!
1. Katherine Wyvern - A Muse to Live For
Katherine Wyvern - Spice & Vanilla
2. L.A. Witt – Adrift
Brooklyn Ray - Darkling
3. Tia Fielding – Four
I said it before and I will say it again, I am so ridiculously happy for Katherine Wyvern! The characters in Spice were absolutely wonderful, the use of music was delightful, and the slow reveal of secrets, memories, and pasts helped to give it all depth and resonance.
1. Ruth Simkin - Dear Sophie
2. Todd Allen Smith - Murder, Romance and Two Shootings
Judith Branzburg - The Liberation of Ivy Bottini
3. Carla Grant - Uncommon Girls
Grant's story was not what I expected, a book I almost gave up on it in the early going, but then she shared Eliot's formal written proposal to wear high heels to school . . . and suddenly I found myself loving this kid. Mom's whole "fluid concept of womanhood" is perfect, and Ella is . . . well, I am going to go all out and call her a hero. She is amazing. You need to read this!
Such a tough category! G’Fellers created a delightful modern American queer fantasy about family, spirit, magic, and connections (complete with a wonderful non-binary character and absolutely perfect gender-neutral pronouns), while Derr wrote what a wonderful fantasy, full of action and adventure, and polyamorous romance.
1. Meredith Katz - How Saeter Robbed the Underworld
2. Freddy MacKay - Waiting on the Rain
3. Casey Wolfe - A Mage's Power
MacKay wrote a beautiful story of friendship and family with characters as wonderful and as diverse as the Thailand setting. Jira and Bon are such a cute couple, and Areeya and Fon (OMG, I loved Fon!) really bring that relationship to live by intertwining it within their own.
1. Anna Butler - Day of Wrath (Taking Shield #5)
2. Dorian Graves - Bones and Bourbon
3. E.J. Runyon - Good People
Coming into a series with the 5th book is always a challenge, especially with high tech space opera, but Butler created so much drama, tension, and mystery (with a covert romance) that I was drawn in from the start.
1. R.A. Steffan - The Complete Lion Mistress Collection
2. Jae - Perfect Rhythm
Ava Kelly - Havesskadi
3. Sam Burns - Strike Up the Band
R.A. Steffan also took the Asexual - Contemporary, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance & Romantic Comedy category with another wonderful story full of dynamic characters, a reverse harem relationship, and a mix of fantasy and romance.
Congrats to the authors across all categories!
Thank you so, so much, Sally! I am so very happy and honored by this! :)
ReplyDeleteSo very much deserved, hon! I was so happy to see your name. :)
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