Last week, we were proud to announce to you the three finalists for this year’s Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year awards. Since then, the finalists have been showing us their impressive marketing chops – reaching out to fans on social media, making appearances and promoting their book like pros to win your votes.
Now it is time to pick a winner. We’re in the final hours, and we need your vote today to determine which of these talented authors has proven they have the author platform and promotional muscle to take top honors as the Grand Prize winner, and take home the $1,500 Grand Prize for Best Book of the Year.
So, take one last look at these worthy contenders, and then scroll down to the poll to place your vote for the 2018 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year!
FINALIST: Two Towers by T. D. Arkenberg
Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.
FINALIST: Genetics Isn’t Everything by Katherine S. Egan
Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.
FINALIST: Wasp on the Wind by C. R. Norris
Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.
The public poll for Best Book of the Year closes at 5:00 PM (MST) on Friday, September 14th.
Are you ready to start your own self-publishing journey? We can help deliver an award-worthy publication to you! If you need help choosing your best self-publishing option, you can connect with Outskirts Press now:
Congratulations to John E. Peltier, author of The Thundering Herd, who is our third and final competitor for the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year Award. It’s time for you, the voter, to take it from here!
Public voting will determine which of the three finalists — Gramma Darling by Lissa Schroeder, When a Woman Is in Love with God by Darnelle Wilson, or The Thundering Herd by John Peltier — should be awarded the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Voting is open to everyone and will take place on this blog from Monday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Sept. 15 (noon Mountain time).
John’s memoir, The Thundering Herd, was published April 2016 and won a 2nd Place EVVY Award in the History category just a couple of weeks ago. This touching historical memoir recounts a big family’s life in the 1950s and ’60s on a Texas farm and cattle ranch with the Vietnam War looming on the backdrop.
The Thundering Herd
These stories begin with brief family histories that bring the Peltier and the Scottish Keillor families together. John was the fifth of the twelve children that Wilburn and Barbara Peltier raised on the flat salt grass prairie of Southeast Texas. The life they created for their family on their rice farm and cattle ranch provided a fertile field for the life experiences that are shared in these settings. At the age of nineteen, naïve and fresh from the farm, John was drafted into the U.S. Army. After surviving boot camp and medical corpsman training, he found himself in Vietnam. John used his time in the military and its experiences as the backdrop to describe life growing up.
Writing this book intensified the realization of the valuable life lessons that John’s family and the farm and ranch taught him. After mustering out of the Army in January of 1969, he settled back into civilian life and finished his education. Disaster struck in August 1969 when his father suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 54, leaving five of his siblings still at home and all without a father. He discovered the two earthy loves of his life – his wife, Janie, and the vocation of construction – at the same time and place. As a result, Janie and John have a beautiful family and a thriving business, Peltier Brothers Construction, which has provided a great livelihood not only for him and four of his brothers, but for nephews down into the next generation. Both Janie and the company taught him lessons he never expected to learn. Those stories, plus an incident with the fangs of a deadly rattlesnake and a light essay on grass and water, are included in this book.
About Author John Peltier
John E. Peltier is now retired from a successful career in construction and lives in Tomball, Texas, with his wife, Janie. He is the father of three and grandfather to eight. He still raises cattle and gives much back to his community. Sam Houston State University recognized him as one of their 2015 distinguished alumni.
Every year, Outskirts Press recognizes the best book they publish with their annual Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award, which must not only win an EVVY Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association but must be recognized as the best book among three finalists in a public opinion poll.
As finalists, Gramma Darling by Lissa Schroeder, When a Woman Is in Love with God by Darnelle Wilson, and The Thundering Herd by John Peltier, will be competing for the ultimate win. The winning author will receive a $1,500 credit to his or her Outskirts Press Publishing Center, plus an exclusive 2017 Best Book of the Year award seal to apply to the cover of their book.
So, come back on Monday, Sept. 11, to cast your vote for the book you believe to be the best of the three.
Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award?
Congratulations to Darnelle Wilson, author of When a Woman Is in Love with God, who is one of three finalists for the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year Award. The third and last finalist will be announced tomorrow on this blog – and you’ll take it from there!
Public voting will determine which of the three finalists should be awarded the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Voting is open to everyone and will take place on this blog from Monday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Sept. 15 (noon Mountain time).
Darnelle’s spiritual book, When a Woman Is in Love with God, was published August 2016 and won a 1st Place EVVY Award in the Religion and Spirituality category just a couple of weeks ago. The book guides women through forming a loving relationship with God, thus reaping the spiritual rewards of unconditional love and salvation.
When a Woman Is in Love with God
When a woman loves God, she tries to please Him and do His will through daily studies of the Bible. When times are difficult, she stands on His Word and promises. Her love for Him gives her the strength to weather the storms of life. She has a safe place in the Word of God. When a woman loves God, her position in Him is anointed and appointed by God. She is bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. She is neither proud nor envious in her position, and pleases God as she walks in humility. God has placed her in a position to love others, even her enemies. He has given her everything she needs. Are YOU a woman who loves God? In times of trials and tribulations, when even friends and relatives have turned on you, your love for Him will sustain you. This inspirational book will encourage you to give God your unconditional love so that He will love you right into His Kingdom.
About Author Darnelle Wilson
Dr. Darnelle Wilson has worked in the women ministry for more than 30 years and has taught many workshops on the work women have in the ministry for God. As a pastor’s wife and church leader, Dr. Wilson has been doing God’s work for many years. She is a woman who loves and puts God first in her life.
Every year, Outskirts Press recognizes the best book they publish with their annual Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award, which must not only win an EVVY Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association but must be recognized as the best book among three finalists in a public opinion poll.
As finalists, Lissa Schroeder, author of Gramma Darling, and Darnelle Wilson, author of When a Woman Is in Love with God, will be competing head-to-head-to-head with the third finalist in a public poll on this blog starting on Monday. The winning author will receive a $1,500 credit to his or her Outskirts Press Publishing Center, plus an exclusive 2017 Best Book of the Year award seal to apply to the cover of their book.
Tomorrow we’ll announce the final competitor. Then we need you! Come back on Monday, Sept. 11, to cast your vote for the book you believe to be the best of the three.
Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award?
Congratulations to Lissa Schroeder, author of Gramma Darling, who is one of three finalists for the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year Award. The next two finalists will be announced tomorrow and the next day on this blog — and you’ll take it from there!
Public voting will determine which of these three finalists should be awarded the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Voting is open to everyone and will take place on this blog from Monday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Sept. 15 (noon Mountain time).
Lissa’s masterpiece, Gramma Darling, was published January 2016 and won an EVVY Award just a couple of weeks ago. (In fact, the EVVY judges were so impressed with the book, they recognized it with a 1st Place win in the Family and Relationships, and Interior Layout/Design categories, as well as 2nd Place for Inspirational, Juvenile Non-Fiction, and Motivational books!) The book is a loving tribute to the great impact the love of an individual can have on the life of a child.
Gramma Darling
Beautifully written and stunningly illustrated, this delightful book for children, parents, and grandparents paints a nostalgic picture of unhurried summer days at a dear grandmother’s house. Seen and felt through the eyes of a child, every discovery is full of innocence and wonder; from an attic brimming with treasures to running through the fields at twilight catching fireflies. You will laugh and remember your own childhood and feel as though you are there sharing in all the small adventures of her little world; the baby birds, the gardening, the stormy days, and bedtime baths. And through it all, in the background, is Gramma Darling and her laughter. You sense the atmosphere of nurturing, protection, and worth that she provides; and far more importantly, you get a glimpse into the wisdom of a woman whose genuine genius for simply loving, inspires wholehearted lifetime devotion. It will leave you uplifted and looking for ways to spend quality time with the little ones in your own life.
About Author Lissa Schroeder
Lissa Schroeder is a gifted teacher, an engaging public speaker, and a licensed minister. She has taught all over Alaska at youth conferences, ladies’ retreats, home school workshops, and more. A born storyteller, she paints vivid emotional pictures that are inspiring and hopeful, that make your heart soar and leave you smiling. Mostly, she has raised three awesome kids, homeschooling from preschool to med school. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with her husband and youngest son, where she owns and runs a curriculum supply store.
Doron Ben-Ami is a freelance illustrator, photographer, and musician, living and working in Brookfield Connecticut. He has illustrated hundreds of book covers, advertisements, posters, children’s books, and calendars. He also creates illustrations for storyboards and animatics, assisting in the production of nationally broadcast TV commercials. Most recently he has expanded his professional offerings to video and animation. When not creating visual imagery, he performs in the western Connecticut area with his jazz band, and in a duo with his daughter. He has two grown children, and lives with his wife in Brookfield, Connecticut.
Every year, Outskirts Press recognizes the best book they publish with their annual Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award, which must not only win an EVVY Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association but must be recognized as the best book among three finalists in a public opinion poll.
As one of three finalists, Lissa Schroeder, author of Gramma Darling, will be competing head-to-head-to-head with the other finalists in a public poll on this blog starting on Monday. The winning author will receive a $1,500 credit to his or her Outskirts Press Publishing Center, plus an exclusive 2017 Best Book of the Year award seal to apply to the cover of their book.
Tomorrow and the next day, we’ll announce the other two competitors. Then we need you! Come back on Monday, Sept. 11, to cast your vote for the book you believe to be the best of the three.
Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award?