Mark Twain Award Winner

I'm way behind on blogging, but last night I got word that In Search of the Magic Theater has won first place in the 2022 CIBA Mark Twain contest! This award is "for the best books featuring satire, humor, political ideology, parody, fantasy, and allegory or fable."

You can get a copy direct from the publisher (Regal House), from Bookshop.org, many other online retailers, or from your favorite bookstore (ask them to order your copy if it is not currently in stock there!)

This Coming Saturday in Illinois...

I'll be visiting the University of Illinois later this week for the annual Czech/Slovak Workshop, where I'll be giving the keynote address. After the Workshop, I'll be doing a discussion and reading at The Literary bookstore in Champaign at 4:30 on April 1. If you're in the area, please come!

Launching Thursday!

Too Early to Know Who's Winning launches this Thursday, March 23! There's a narrow window of time still to use the discount code PREORDER2023 with the publisher--go to https://www.blackrosewriting.com/womens/tooearlytoknowwhoswinning. Also, do you know about BookBub? It's an e-book focused social network where you can follow favorite authors, get New Release Alerts (one will be going out on my book), and find special deals on e-books. Follow me on BookBub here!

Finalist for Mark Twain rather than Somerset

I've just had word that In Search of the Magic Theater has been moved from competition for the Somerset prize (literary/contemporary) to the sibling Mark Twain prize (satire/humor), and it is a finalist for Mark Twain. I know there are some moments in it that make me laugh, but compared to some novels I've written, it's fairly serious! Readers, what do you think? Is this an unusually funny or satirical novel?

Giveaways Ended and Ending...

The Goodreads giveaway of twenty Kindle copies of In Search of the Magic Theater ended on March 12, but there's one day more for the giveaway of ten paperback copies of Too Early to Know Who's Winning! If a novel about liberal women approaching retirement during the Trump presidency and climate crisis sounds like it might be your cup of tea, be sure to enter before midnight on Thursday.

You can also still get a digital review copy of Too Early to Know Who's Winning from NetGalley and/or preorder it with discount code PREORDER2023 direct from the publisher.

Both novels have received some very favorable comments. In Search of the Magic Theater is currently a semi-finalist for a CIBA Somerset prize (the finalist list is expected to post soon) and early readers of Too Early to Know Who's Winning say "One of the many pleasures of this novel lies in its razor-sharp and very funny observations of contemporary life" and "This novel is very funny in a low-key way and it’s a page-turner. It pounces on what is droll in ordinary contemporary life and the writing is economical and tasty."

If you've already read one or both, please do post your thoughts, whether on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, or wherever else!

Regal House Authors at AWP

We're doing a reading Thursday as part of the AWP conference! Free and open to the public.

Semi-Finalist Now on the Somerset Award

I had barely registered that In Search of the Magic Theater had moved from the longlist to the shortlist for Chanticleer's Somerset Award, when I learned it had taken another step up to semi-finalist! Now, I grant that this is a contest with quite a few stages (vs those that might stay mum until they announce five finalists and then a winner, or something like that), but it's still exciting. I know some of the other competitors, as well as authors in the running for other Chanticleer awards, so here's to all of us!