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25-02-2019

A Very Happy FINALIST

McKenzie Austin has always enjoyed her relationship with the creative arts. Like any whirlwind romance, she finds the ebbs and flows of the artistic process as challenging as they are rewarding.

A tattoo artist by trade, "McK" is intimately familiar with the art world. Writing has always been the most ambitious undertaking, but she has the support of her family and friends, who she resides with in Green Bay, WI.

Here she is, a 2018 finalist in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.

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02-02-2019

2018 Finalists Announced

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS 2018

FINALISTS

Below is a list of the 2018 FINALISTS in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. The children’s books were read and judged by children in 8 UK primary and secondary schools, the adult books by 2 Reading Groups, 1 in London and 1 in Stockholm. The books were marked according to EDITING, THEME, STYLE, COVER and, in the case of many of the children’s books, ILLUSTRATIONS. Every book that was awarded over 30/40 is a finalist.

 

The WINNERS will be announced on April 1st, 2019.

 

If you happen to be looking for a good read, the readers at The Wishing Shelf Awards thoroughly recommend the following:

 

 

 

Category 1 Pre-School Picture Books

 

A Christmas Star, Leea Baltes

A Handful of Eggs, Belinda Mellor

Be Happy to Be You, Diane Margaret Hull and Jan Dolby

Blueberry Bear, Eileen Pieczonka, ill. by Romi A. Caron

Captain Alex Adventures - Journey to the Moon, Jean-Paul Churchward and Steve Page

Chores Make Me Snore, Sheri Wall, Ilona Stuijt

Dinner on the Doorstep, Elizabeth Cummings, ill. by Bronte Goodieson

Eleanor Hurl the Peculiar Girl, SL Kins

Felix and His Rubbish Dump, Flora Beth Edwards

Golden Sparkles: An introduction to Mindfulness, Catarina R Peterson, ill. by Mateya Arkova

Home, Adam Leitman Bailey

I Smile For Grandpa, Ms. Jaclyn Guenette, Ms. Kathryn Harrison

Jay-Jay, The Supersonic Bus, Sue Wickstead

La Petite Josette en Provence - Going To Les Baux-de-Provence, Ashley Davidson-Fisher, ill. by Martinique Louise Fisher

Maisie & Bertie's Animal ABC, Kevin Price, Vicky Fieldhouse

Mixter Twizzle’s Breakfast, Regan W H Macaulay, ill. by Wei Lu

Monday's Ball, Segun O Mosuro

N is for Nutrition, Rhymes by the Alphabet, Todd Skene and Dr. Amneet Aulakh

Piccadilly and the Jolly Raindrops, Lisa Anne Novelline, ill. by Nicola Hwang

Puppy Pickup Day: The Little Labradoodle (Book 1), April M. Cox, Smith Len

Real Jungle Tales, Jesse Byrd, Ill. by Andressa Meissner

Snowman vs. ABC & 123, Michael Wayne

Space Cop Zack, The Lost Treasure of Zandor, Don M. Winn, ill. by Dave Allred

SPLAT! Robin Bennett, ill by Kate Shannon

The King and the Cockerel, Sarah Morrell

The Most Splendidly Spectacular Circus of Starzborough: The City of Smogg, Michelle Path

The Revolting Brains (7 Read-aloud Bedtime Tales), Neil McFarlane

The Singing Rooster, Marybeth Lang

The Tiny Man’s Dream, Paul Keeton

The Wrong Stripes, Arjun Rihan

Tor the Bear Takes a Daycation, Lin-Marita Sandvik

What on earth is under my bed? Laura Quinn, Kevin McHugh

Whisper & Buzz​: What Your Voice Does, Rabia Anne Sandage

Wish Upon a Shooting Star, J. C. Perry

 

 

Category 2 Books for 6 – 8 Year Olds

 

Big Fish Dreams, Lori Peelen and Consie Powell

Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight, Tales of Tree City, Book 2, D. F. Anderson

Cinderella's Other Shoe, Philippa Rae, Tevin Hansen

Code 7: Cracking the Code for an Epic Life, Bryan R. Johnson

Cody the Pony Goes to Pony Club, Michelle Path

Djabali’s Journey, Corine Timmer

Harry's Midnight Adventure: Volume 1 (The Bad Cat Club), Catherine Campbell

Nibbler & Captain Make Peace, Kathy J. Perry

The Adventures of Captain Waffello: Toasty’s Revenge, Aiden Dennis

The Adventures of Misty & Moxie Wyoming, A Wild Ride, Niki Danforth

The Adventures of Misty & Moxie Wyoming, Runaway Rescue, Niki Danforth

Tricky Times, Laura Irelan

Zombie Baker, J S Rumble

 

 

Category 3 Books for 9 – 12 Year Olds

 

Anya and Her Wings, Natalia Lialina

Beasthunter, Katharina Gerlach

Brian Dright: Weatherman of Mystery, Steve Lill

Connecting Magic (The Legacy of Androva Book 7), Alex C Vick

FAB (Friends Against Bullying) Club 2, Alex Hallatt

Gorgeous George And the Timewarp Trouser Trumpets, Stuart Reid

In the Shadow of the Sphinx, A K Wallis

Jake, Lucid Dreamer, David J. Naiman

James Clyde and the Tomb of Salvation (James Clyde book series 2), Colm McElwain

Maddie in the Middle, Cindy Horrell Ramsey

Making a Mystery with Annie Tillery, The Madonna Ghost, Linds Maria Frank

My Dad, the Earth Warrior, Gary Haq

Olivia Stone and the Dread of the Dreamers, Jeffery E Doherty

Serendipity Mystery: Diary of a Snoopy Cat (Inca Cat Detective Series Book 7), R F Kristi

Shipwrecked: Dragon Island, Carey Fessler

The Boy Who Cried Ghost: A Ghost Town Mystery, Richard Clark

The Extraordinary Tales of Melody Magic: The Haunted Funfair, Alex Woburn

The Extraordinary Tales of Melody Magic: The Mermaids at Crystal Cove, Alex Woburn

The Haunted Funfair, Alex Woburn

The Heath Cousins and the Moonstone Cave, Eileen Hobbs

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, Fiona Ingram

The Snow Witch, Rosie Boyes

The Time Hunters, Carl Ashmore

Theseus, Dr. Simon Spence and Colm Lawton

Unicorn Girl, Anne-Marie Conway

 

 

Category 4 Books for Teenagers

 

Amaskan's War, Raven Oak

Audio Distortion: Replay, Riley Morgan

Awaken (Northern Witch #2), Kelly S. Marsden

Beyond The Screen Door, Julia Diana Robertson

Blade's Edge, Virginia McClain

Cecilia, Sandra L. Rostirolla

Chains Carried on Wings, Marina Ermakova

Change of Chaos, Jacinta Jade

Daughter of Magic, Karen Eisenbrey

Destiny: Part 2 of the Liberty Saga, Rita Chapman

Driven to the Hilt: The Deepest Cut, D G Lamb

Dust 2: A New World Order, S E Smith

Firstworld (Broomriders in Space Book 1), Paul E. Horsman

Fury Frayed, Melissa Haag

Going Green, Heather S. Ransom

Heimdallr, Book 6 in The Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo, Marshall Best

Heir of Ra: Blood of Ra Book One, M. Sasinowski

Hexborn, A M Manay

I Am Me, Kai Strand

Ibic, Book 7 in The Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo, Marshall Best

Infiltrators: The Wall Series, Book 2, Alison Ingleby

Jack Gregson & The Forgotten Portal, Peter Wilson

Karina, E.B. Mann

One Life, Luke Green

Owl Eyes: A Fairy Tale, Molly Lazer

Paradise Girl, Phill Featherstone

Pirate's Wager, Kathrese McKee

Revolt: Book Four of the Resistance Series, Tracy Lawson

Snowsisters, Tom Wilinsky & Jen Sternick

Spell Tracker (Light Mage Series Book 1), Alex C Vick

Survival, Rachel Watts

The Belief in Angels: Jules, J. Dylan Yates

The Chief's Runaway Bride, Bijou Li

The Devil's Poetry, Louise Cole

The Iron Citadel (The Darkwolf Saga Book 2), Mitch Reinhardt

The Leaving Year, Pam McGaffin

The Supernormal Legacy: Dormant, LeeAnn McLennan

The Watcher of the Night Sky, Rachel Pudsey

Twelfth-Night Cake & the Rosings Ghost, Robin Elizabeth Kobayashi

Twenty-Nine, Nancy Pennick

 

 

Category 5 Books for Adults (fiction)

 

8 Seconds to Midnight, John Leifer

A Contrary Wind, Lona Manning

A Friend in Deed, G D Harper

A Gathering For Claudette, Robert Fortune

A Line Intersected, David Grant Urban

A Sparrow Falls, Vicki Olsen

All But What's Left, Carrie Mumford

Alterni (The Alt-World Chronicles Book 1), Sunshine Somerville

And If I Fall, Robin Reardon

Another Ocean to Cross, Ann Griffin

Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor 3, Matt Pike

Apotheosis, Joshua Edward Smith

AROON, THE DUNCULLEN SAGA, M. B. Gibson

Behind the Fan, Caroline Walken

Best of All Gifts, Sheila M. Cronin

Bocas, Thomas M. Barron

Broken Sea, Nigel Peace

Diamonds at Dawn, Catalina

Discussion of a Decent Dream, E Curtis

Fait, Christy & Sarah Newman

Fateful Decisions, Trevor D’Silva

Finding Amor, Allison K. Garcia

Five Fathoms Beneath, J.R. Alcyone

Fresh Off the Starship, Ann Crawford

God Makings I: The New Hubris, Dave Pryor

Happy as a Partridge: Life and Love in Madrid, Kate Boyle

 Highland Secrets, Elizabeth Rose

Hostile Takeover, Cristelle Comby

I Have Demons, Christopher Adam

In Pain and Blood, Aldrea Alien

Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep’s Story, A. M. Watson

Life Without Shoes, Emma Cyrus

Lili, Shlomo Kalo

Love Everlasting: because love knows no boundaries, Chris Bakos

Maddy’s Wings, Jan Porter

Midwife of Normandy, Carole Penfield

Mira's Way, Amy Maroney

Misfortune of Song, Christy Nicholas

Misfortune of Vision, Christy Nicholas

Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62, B. Lynn Goodwin

Nico's Warriors: Veterans' Revenge, Mitchell Nevin

Of Half a Mind, Bruce M. Perrin

Orc Road Trip, Robbie Mahair

Outliers, Kate L. Mary

Pas De Deux: A Dance For Two, Lynn Turner

Payback, Chris Calder

Peas, Carrots and an Aston Martin, Hannah Lynn

Pocketful of Bones, Julie Frayn

Radioactive Evolution, Richard Hummel

Reckless Obsession, Dai Henley

Resonance, Jennifer Greenhall

Sally, J Schlenker

Scout Pilot of the Free Union, Will Macmillan Jones

Shadowed by Death: An Oliver Wright World War II Mystery, Mary Adler

Smokescreen, Alan Reynolds

Still Breathing, E. A. Fournier

Straybeck Rising, Michael Lynch

Survivor’s Dawn, Ashley Warren

Tequila Rose Virginity Blues, Wendy Jayne

The Afterlife of Walter Augustus, Hannah Lynn

The Breaking of Liam Glass, Charles Harris

The Carlswick Mythology, SL Beaumont

The Case of the Slain Soprano, Susan Moore Jordan

The Color of Cold and Ice, J Schlenker

The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride, Joe Siple

The Gift: a novella, Lolli Powell

The Gods Who Harvested Men (The Panagea Tales Book 2), McKenzie Austin

The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming: Book One: Theory, Sienna Tristen

The Labyrinthine Journey, Luciana Cavallaro

The Mage's Tome: Cry of the Acere Duology: Book I, Arisawe Hampton

The Moving Blade, Michael Pronko

The Music of Mars, George G. Moore

The Shaman's Apprentice, by B. Muze

The Sheriff's Catch, James Vella-Bardon

The Spanish Indecision, Sarah-Jane Fraser

The Storyteller’s Throne, Jocelyn Bates

The Suicide Watcher, Gayle Curtis

The Tree That Grew Through Iron, McKenzie Austin

The Wight Thing, Elisabeth Marrion

Tinsel in a Tangle, Laurie Germaine

Touch Sensitive, Lee Isserow

Uncle Greg's Treasure: A Novel Full of Riddles and Time Zones, Cédric H. Roserens

What? B. James

Writers of the Future volume 34, by L. Ron Hubbard and Brandon Sanderson

 

Category 6 Books for Adults (non-fiction)

 

A Candle for My Mother: A Daughter's Journey Toward Gratitude Inspired by the Stories of Lorraine E. Newton, Pamela L. Newton

Addicted to Hate, Lucia Mann

Blemished but not Broken, Kay Kinsley Adams

Coming About, Life in the Balance, Mario Dell’Olio

Common Questions Children Ask About Puberty: Insights from a nationally recognized health education expert, Lori A. Reichel

Daddy Day Care: A book for new dads and curious mums, Jonathan Tindale

Easing Out: Accepting My Gay Self, Seth Vicarson

Failing Students or Failing Schools? A Parent's Guide to Reading Instruction and Intervention, Faith Borkowsky

Girl on the Right: Memoir of a Life Upside Down, Tina Truax

Going Off Grid, Dave Lewis

How To Be An Introvert In An Extrovert World, Michele Connolly

Internet of Things: Digitize or Die, Nicolas Windpassinger

Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling, Erick Kenneth French

I Was A London Fire Fighter, Dave Pike

Kindness, Kale & Kettlebells, Sudhana Singh

Man & Horse: The Long Ride Across America, John Egenes

Nowhere Else I Want to Be: A Memoir, Carol D. Marsh,

Our Existence - Part 1: The Nature & Origin of Physical Reality

Responsive Dementia Care: Fewer Behaviors Fewer Drugs, Helen Buell Whitworth, James A Whitworth

Running the Red Line, Julie Carter

Saving Bobby: Heroes and Heroin in One Small Community, Renee R. Hodges

Sh*t Happens Magic Follows, Carmen Harris,

Social Media For A New Age, Katie Brockhurst

The Learning Project: Rites of Passage, Lincoln Stoller

The Pink Door ~ Mom’s Journey to the Other Side, Suzie Daggett

The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership, Elizabeth Fox, Martin le Comte

To The Transplant Games: A Celebration of Life, C. McIntosh

When Your Life Depends On It, Brad Borkan, David Hirzel

Word of the Week: Volume One, Tim Glynne-Jones

 

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02-01-2019

How Many Authors Entered in 2018

Hi everybody,

So, here we go! The 2018 Wishing Shelf Book Awards is now shut; no further entrants allowed. If you do still wish to enter, you can, but you will be entering the 2019 awards, not the 2018.

Now, when I enter awards with my books, I often find the organisers very – how can I put it? – I know, ‘secretive’. But we don’t work that way. So, below, you will find lots of info as to who is doing what, when they are doing it, what they are doing and who they are doing it to. Enjoy!

HOW MANY ENTERED

Firstly, let me tell you how many authors entered the 2018 Wishing Shelf Book Awards? In Category 1 (Pre-School Picture Books) there were 53 books entered. In Category 2 (Books for 6 – 8 Year Olds) there were 26 entered. In Category 3(Books for 9 – 12 Year Olds) there were 39 entered. In Category 4(Books for Teenagers) there were 58 entered. In Category 5(Books for Adults - Fiction) there were 152 entered. And, finally, in Category 6 (Books for Adults - non-fiction) there were 51 entered.

The biggest change from last year seems to be Category 1. Last year, there were only 30; so, the number in this category has almost doubled. Oddly, Category 3 dropped markedly from 56 last year to only 39 this year. The rest did not alter by very much. In fact, Category 6 went up by 1!

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

For the children's books, we have chosen six primary and secondary schools in the UK, mostly in London, to do the initial judging. The children, with the help of their teachers, will be assessing the books and deciding on the finalists in each category based simply on: which book(s) did they enjoy the most and why. They will assess the books according to:

EDITING Is there a flow to the text or is it a scratched record? Is it full of tiny/gigantic errors?

THEME Is the book current/interesting/original/exciting?

STYLE Is it a page-turner? The beginning grips you and the end knocks you for six.

COVER AND ILLUSTRATIONS Eye-catching? Age appropriate? Do they add to the book?

A smaller, select group of children then look at the chosen top books and pick the gold, silver and bronze winners for each category.

The adult books will be assessed by two Reading Groups, one in London where I often work and one in Stockholm where I live. They will decide on the finalists and from these they will pick the gold, silver and bronze medal winners. The members of these groups will not be professional editors or 'BIG' in the publishing world, but they love to read and know a good book when they see it. They will be assessing the books in a similar way to the children but perhaps the judging will be a little more in depth.

WHAT WE SPEND THE ENTRY FEE ON

If you did not know, the Wishing Shelf Book Awards is run not for profit, but to help the authors who enter. The motto for the awards is: Working to Promote Excellence in Independent Publishing. I know it sounds a little cliched, but that is what we honestly try to do. So, the entry fee is spent on the following:

1. Owning, hosting and updating the webpage.
2. Cost of posting the picture books between Reading Groups and schools.
3. Designing the (super-cool!) certificate for all the finalists and winners.
4. Advertising all the finalists on Goodreads (it costs a fortune, but it helps the authors find new customers).
5. The cost of promoting the winning adult books on Goodreads.
6. The cost of designing and producing the winner medals.
7. Every year, we support Blind Children UK (Guide Dogs) with a financial donation.
8. To cover the Reading Group organisers' travel costs.
9. To cover the cost of 1 part-time member of staff who helps with organising and sending out all the feedbacks. I (Edward) do it for free!
10. Membership/partnership of ALLi and general marketing of the awards.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

On March 1^st, we will be announcing the list of finalists. It will be announced on the Facebook page, in a newsletter, on Twitter and on the website: www.thewsa.co.uk. Remember, every book that is awarded over 30/40 will be a finalist. So, it is perfectly possible for every book in a category to be a finalist; it is also possible for there to be no finalists in a given category! Don’t worry, it’s not happened yet. We will then be adding the list of finalists to the website along with a link to the book’s Amazon page. Also, the finalists will be able to download a certificate and a ‘Finalist’ logo – in lots of different formats – which they can put on blogs, book covers, etc. etc.

Also, during March, we will be sending out ALL of the non-finalists’ feedback to the authors who picked Opt. 2 when they entered. Although all the non-finalists’ feedback will have been completed by March 1^st, we will only send out approx. 5 a day. Then, if the authors wish to, we can properly discuss the feedback with them, and not be overwhelmed. Keep in mind, if the author is insulting in any way, we will not try to help them. Sadly, every year, two or three authors get very, VERY angry with me if the feedback is not what they want it to be. Remember, the feedback is there to help you to improve your writing. The readers in the Reading Groups are very honest. So, if they find three hundred spelling errors in the story, they did. They are not making it up to upset you.

Then, at the beginning of April, we will announce the Gold, Silver and Bronze Winners! After that, we will be sending out all the finalists’ feedbacks, sending out the winners’ certificate, listing the winners on the website, promoting the finalists/winners on Goodreads with a $500 advert, and sending out the medals to the winners. The medal for the winners is covered by the entry fee. The finalists will also be able to ‘purchase’ a medal. They cost a fortune, so we can’t cover that too.

If anybody wants to ask me anything regarding the awards, they are welcome to do so. I can always be contacted at thewishingshelfawards@gmx.com. Finally, I wish you all the best of luck. Remember, you have all written a book. And, that, I think, is the biggest accomplishment of all.

Chat soon!

Edward

(B B Buttons)

 

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