Life is full of many pleasant surprises.
Receiving not only one, but two awards – a silver and a gold – from the Independent Publisher Book Awards this month for Their Spirits Took Flight, brought me much joy! You should have seen the look on the faces of our dogs Ellie and Daisy when I did a happy dance in the kitchen after being apprised of the good news! Some kind of funky cross between the Charleston and the Twist.
The Independent Publisher Book Awards, commonly referred to as the IPPY Awards, annually honors the world’s best independently published titles. Judging is based on “quality of content, originality, design, and production with an emphasis on innovation and social relevance. Our judging panels include experts from the fields of editing, design, reviewing, bookselling and library.” Hmm... I wondered…should I?
As I teetered on the edge of deciding whether to enter the competition or not, self-doubt entered my mind. I thought of my friends, Lauren Miranda and Larry, who are both elegant writers. To them, writing and expressing one’s thoughts and feelings flows naturally. No truer friend have they, than their gift of selecting and arranging words. Their gift allows them a place of refuge, and a way of connecting to their life’s sense of higher possibilities.
Passion and creativity, yes! I have those qualities, as well as the ability to be self-critical at times. I also have a calling to shine a light on the souls whose bodies remain in Pine Grove Cemetery, and with this book I have conveyed a way for those souls to be reintroduced to the living.
Living life with gratitude, love, gentleness, sharing joy with others, and acknowledging the natural world are my biggest accomplishments, and from which I derive my greatest happiness. This is the lens I look through to determine what is important. Oh, and bringing a little attention towards my book is a good thing – good for me – good for Nevada City – good for the living residents of Nevada City, and those residents whose spirits took flight.
Yes, that's me....
Important fashion advice: "Always keep a party hat handy for any unforeseen emergencies..."