What a way to come off an extended hiatus!
Late last night, I opened my author email expecting to dismiss a few pieces of spam, look at a couple notifications from social media, and check my book stats on BookBub and Bookfunnel. What I didn't expect was to find a message from the Chanticleer International Book Awards informing me that I'd won their OZMA Award: the grand prize given to their favorite fantasy novel of the year.
My fingers froze. My eyes roved from the return address, to the blue ribbon crest shining above my book cover, to the list of incredible finalists that Divinity's Twilight had been judged alongside. This can't be real, I decided. I cross-referenced the sender against my submission form from a year ago, still expecting a mistake—or worse, a scam.
It was neither. My debut novel had legitimately won an award.
Shock morphed to numbness, numbness to flushing and tears. A real award. Five star reviews and kind messages about my work have always touched my heart, but this was something else entirely: validation, and from a respected literary organization no less.
Yet it isn't enough for me alone to revel in this success. I've gone silent for a long time while working on my next batch of writing projects, but now I'm reemerging from the shadows to share what you can expect to see from me over the next year. First, in celebration of Divinity's Twilight: Rebirth's shiny blue ribbon, signed copies are immediately being discounted to $4.95 + shipping (LINK). There's never been a better time to dive into the world of Lozaria, especially since I just started talking to Chris McGrath about the cover art for Book 2. Keep your eyes peeled for ALL the reveals over the coming months: Title, synopsis, cover, the whole nine yards. There's also . . . Well, I don't want to spoil everything in one post. So look forward to the next blog entry and check my social media, because Chris Russell is back in action and writing more than ever! OZMA Finalists and Grand Prize Winner: LINK
All Grand Prize Winners: LINK "How we rise is far more meaningful than how we fall . . ." ~Chris
That’s so awesome! Congratulations on a much-deserved award. Looking forward to hearing news about Book 2 and everything else you’re working on!