Nominated for a PEN/Hemingway!

I am pleased to report that Regal House, my publisher, has nominated In Search of the Magic Theater for the PEN/Hemingway award for Debut Novel, which

"honors a debut novel of exceptional merit by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The Award aims to preserve the novel as an art form and to support the longevity of the writer’s literary career. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize intended to allow significant time and resources with which to pursue a subsequent work of fiction."

Last year's winner was Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters (MCD). The runners-up were Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi (The Overlook Press); Dear Miss Metropolitan: A Novel by Carolyn Ferrell (Henry Holt & Company); The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Novel by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Harper); and The Five Wounds: A Novel by Kirstin Valdez Quade (W.W. Norton & Company).