RONE nomination for silver medal winner…serendipity.
Today, I received this email:
“Dear Prue Batten,
Because your book, A Thousand Glass Flowers, received the high review rating of a 4 star or better, it has continued to the second, public voting phase for the 2012, RONE Awards. In this phase the readers will be narrowing down the contestants to 4 – 6 finalists in each genre by choosing the books they love best.
This is to inform you that your book’s genre is open for voting beginning tomorrow (Friday)! It will only be open for votes for exactly one week, so it is extremely important that you let all your friends and fans know! We would hate to think a superior quality book was lost only because people were unaware of the time limit, so we are including the link for voting so you can pass it along!
http://indtale.com/rone-awards/2012/week-4
The finalists in this round will then be read and judged by a group of professionals in the industry to determine the very best in indie and small published books of 2012.”
So rather like Gisborne: Book of Pawns in the medieval hist.fict category, A Thousand Glass Flowers is up for the Best Fantasy Award. And of course, I am begging once again – that if you enjoyed the novel, you click on the above link and help take the book through to the third and final level. The nice thing about this book is that last year it secured a silver medal for fantasy in the internationally recognised Readers’ Favourite Book Awards.
When Gisborne was nominated, I remember saying what serendipity it was that Richard Armitage was in Australia at the same time because his Gisborne was such an inspiration. The most basic meaning of serendipity is ‘the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.’
Trust me, I have definitely not been searching this week.
My mum, 88 years and gorgeous, is in the mid to late stages of macular degeneration for which she has been part of a clinical trial for a new injectable drug. She had, and still holds hope that the therapy will prevent blindness, but she has peaks and troughs and this week was particularly bad. This week we have approached modalities to give her quality of life if her sight deteriorates further. Confronting for her, difficult for me to have to make her face such things. So that when the above email arrived overnight, I wondered about inspiration…
Let’s just say Mum is an inspiration – her middle name is Isabel. My female protagonist in A Thousand Glass Flowers is Isabella. Mum is an iron lady, plucky, courageous and an absolute go-getter. Belle is similar. Mum is rather beautiful. So is Belle. So let me say, that if ATGF is fortunate enough to get to Round Three, I dedicate the success to my master blaster mother and thank all readers who might have voted for the novel!
What a lineage of women you are, Prue
Will vote!
Posie x
Bless you!
PS: ignore email!
Oh this is getting exciting!
Voted.
Bollyknickers, I have been meaning to email to say how much I enjoyed your astute observations in your guest post on Servetus’s blog. You certainly inspired some spirited and if I may say, highly personal discussion. I saw the occasion so perfectly through your eyes, including your very clear idea of what happened at the end. I think your deductions may have been absolutely spot on. Thank you so much for all of that and for taking the time to support my books. Cheers and very best.
Thank you for your kind words, Prue. It was an interesting experience and, as i said to Servetus, i don’t know where you regular bloggers find the energy!
It’s a pleasure to follow your journey – good luck with the award.
Your mom is a beautiful woman! Hope the treatment works. I’ll vote right after this is sent. Best of luck to you!
Judi, thank you. We hoped the treatment would maintain a holding pattern for mum’s sight, but unfortunately it looks as if the injections are not being as successful as for others. We’ll know in two weeks when she goes back for the next check. I’m usually as close to glass half full as I can be but in this instance I think acceptance of the reality of oncoming blindness is the best way to go. I have never wanted to be proved so wrong in my life.
Duly voted. and with pleasure – it’s a lovely book!
Thank you so much, Giselle. I’m grateful for the vote and glad you enjoyed it!
Best of luck, Prue. Will vote with pleasure.
Thanks so much, Louise. I appreciate your support.
Congrats on the nomination! I voted too! Hope things go alright for your Mum.
Thanks so much,velvet. She’s picked herself up and is trying to accept whatever comes her way. Pretty tough old bird, isn’t she?
I just wanted to offer my sincere congratulations to you on being a fellow FINALIST for a RONE Award as best of 2012. I am attending the conference. If you also plan to attend, I look forward to meeting you in person and chatting. Or at least congratulating each other in person after we both win! (Wink!) God Bless, Hallee Bridgeman
Thank you, Hallee. And may I offer you congratulations as well.