Note: The Contest was limited to California Only during our launch year due to its success and the ability for global publishing online, the contest name has had to change and expand. We apologize for any confusion.
First Annual California
Fiction Writers Book Challenge Winners (2012)
CALIFORNIA – LuckyCinda Publishing is proud to announce the grand prize winner of the 2011 California Fiction Writers Book Challenge.
Congratulations to Beth Barany for her remarkable work entitled Henrietta the Dragon Slayer. Although designed for “tween” readers, our adult judges unanimously applauded the way Barany swept us into the story and kept us there.
The copy was beautifully proofed, the story well laid out and the writing a zestful pleasure.
Henrietta the Dragon Slayer is about a courageous and resourceful young woman who takes on a dangerous quest in an effort to save her dying mentor. Misgivings and misfit companions are just two of the trials she faces on her journey.
We believe Barany’s title character has a future as the star of a series of books.
We also offer our heartfelt congratulations to our second and third place winners: Lee Geiger for Pearls of Asia and Helen Gordon for Malinalli of the Fifth Sun: The Slave Girl Who Changed the Fate of Mexico and Spain.
Pearls of Asia is a breezy murder mystery with a provocative love story and features a satisfying detective tag team. Set in San Francisco, first time novelist Geiger has captured police partner bantering that rings true. The writer also has a better than average gift for description that makes fine use of unexpected yet apt comparisons.
Malinalli of the Fifth Sun relates the epic life of a woman sold into slavery in the “New World” who eventually finds herself a woman of property in Spain and a heroine to the Mexican people. Accomplished writer Gordon intertwines extensive and exhaustive research with a compelling plot line and philosophical reflection.
The judges selected the following four books as Honorable Mentions:
The Jaguar Princess by Marjorie Johnson is an adventure novel woven around the unique geography, history and culture of the Yucatan. The story is well plotted; the story line moves briskly; and the characters breathe life into historical information through their actions.
The Mystical Path to Mystique by Gene Stirm introduces the reader to Dave, a crusty two-time divorced Los Angeles man who believes he is hallucinating. The visions spur Dave to move to Northern California. But when he encounters and picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, Dave falls into an unexpected journey of other worldly adventure.
Shades of Love, stories from the heart, is actually a collection of short stories written by Sunny Lockwood. With love at the core of each tale, the diary-style of composition appealed to everyone on the panel.
Tom’s Wife by Alana Cash – Set on a farm in Arkansas during the Great Depression, this darkly hued tale introduces us to Annie Huckaby, an uneducated and isolated woman resigned to a life of sorrow and privation at the hands of an abusive husband. Her life is forever altered when she meets a traveling peddler with a decent heart.
Additionally, the judges recognized the following works because both subject matters are intriguing enough to find an audience:
Genghis Khan, the World Conqueror (Volume 1 & 2) by Sam Djang – The depth of the historical research undertaken for this book is staggering. If you are a Genghis Khan aficionado or scholar of Asia’s past, dig in.
ICU – This novella was written by Emily Rose Carde when she was only 14 years-old and published when she was 17.
When a series of tragic events push college graduate Lauren Miller to escape the memories of her past, she flees to Los Angeles. But all too soon, she starts receiving threatening packages and everyone in her circle of acquaintance becomes suspect. Considering her age and ability, Carde shows incredible promise.
Emily Rose Carde was also the winner of our free 1/4 page advertisement in The Inland Adventurer.