In general, it’s a good idea to have a strong sense of realism, which means you may need to conduct some research if your novel is going to involve different types of weaponry, vehicles, combat styles, or technology.
Action/adventure novels typically take place in a variety of exotic locations around the globe (or even around the universe!), so visiting those locations, when possible, will help your writing become more realistic, because you will be able to evoke senses like smell, touch, sounds, taste, etc.
At Outskirts Press, we know a thing or two about publishing successful, award-winning action/adventure novels. In fact, we publish a lot of them! Last year’s Best Book of the Year award went to an action/adventure novel, Snow Men, by Andrew Ceroni, and this year he followed-up with another Best Book of the Year award for Meridian, which won a 1st Place EVVY Award in the Action/Adventure category (and 2nd Place in Science Fiction).
.
In fact, another Outskirts Press book won the 2nd Place EVVY Award in Action/Adventure, too. Toxic Sphere, by C.N. Sky tells the futuristic tale of four great powers (Cadona, Domataland, Sohn-Sur, and Visstel) as they battle for world dominance.
Every year, Outskirts Press officially nominates a small percentage of the books we published during the previous year for submission to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards. A nomination to these awards is the first step toward receiving the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award. The standards for winning this award are exceedingly high; we nominated fewer than 5 percent of the books we published in 2014. Next, three finalists are selected from among the EVVY Award winners for the Best Book of the Year Award contest. We feature each of the finalists on the Outskirts Press blog and conduct a public vote for the grand prize of $1,500.
Outskirts Press is proud to announce that Snow Men, by Andrew Ceroni, was this year’s winner of the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award. Andrew’s work was voted the top honor from the three finalists. Andrew received the $1,500 Grand Prize from Outskirts Press, as well as receiving recognition through social networks and a widely distributed press release.
Andrew Ceroni served a distinguished career as a special agent conducting global counterespionage and antiterrorism operations. He is a graduate of numerous federal intelligence and criminal law enforcement training forums. He received his B.S. degree from the US Air Force Academy; M.A. from Case Western Reserve University; and studied several foreign languages at the University of Maryland. He has authored several short stories and two novels, and his poetry has also been published in several magazines.
Thousands of readers and writers in our writing and publishing community were invited to vote for the Best Book of the Year Award. The Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award recognizes not only the author with the writing talent to compose an award–winning book, but also the marketing prowess to promote it. Andrew ultimately collected the highest number of votes.
It’s never too late to publish your own award-winning book. Perhaps you will find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year Award! Get started today.
START PUBLISHING TODAY AND GET $300 SPENDING MONEY!
Get $300 of “Mad Money” with the promotion code below when you choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service.
You can apply your $300 of “Mad Money” toward any production or marketing option we offer. And with many of our optional services beginning at just $99, you can get quite a few! Use it to enhance your book with a Custom Cover, Cover Scribing, Editing, a Kindle Format, or choose from many other options. The only question is . . . How are you going to spend it?
Enter the promotion code MADMONEYSEPT15 and start publishing today!
In addition to receiving $300 in Mad Money, you’ll also receive the following with your Diamond package:
Standard Press Release. $99 value included FREE when you order your Diamond publishing service today.
Audio Excerpt. $99 value included FREE with your Diamond order today and a great way to share your voice with your readers, literally!
E-Book Edition (pdf). $99 value included FREE with your Diamond publishing service.
Cover Image. $99 value included FREE and a great way to enhance your cover.
Spring Arbor additional distribution. $99 value to complement the Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram availability already included FREE with your Diamond publishing service.
All in all, you’re looking at over $800 of FREE stuff in September!
“As a first-time author, I was overwhelmed with the publication process, but my research paid off: My choice of Outskirts Press is one of the best decisions I made.”
Alexandra Goodwin was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and came to the United States as a student. She lives with her husband, Craig, and their two poodles in Coral Springs, Florida. Exchange at the Border is her first novel.
Mexican agave farmworker Porro Camorra never meant to do anything wrong. He is in love with his girlfriend, but when she becomes pregnant, his life is in danger. Fleeing the vindictive wrath of her enraged brothers, who have sworn to kill him, Porro runs for the border. But when he reaches the barrier between Mexico and the United States, he finds more than the safety he seeks. As he is thrust into a mystical realm, he must agree to a fascinating but dangerous bargain in order to reclaim his place in the world. Vivid, inventive, and suspenseful, Exchange at the Border is a thrilling and colorful exploration of the timeless battle between good and evil, with a story and characters that will keep you spellbound. – Alexandra Goodwin, author of Exchange at the Border
The votes are in! Outskirts Press announced today that Andrew Ceroni has won the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award for 2014 for his book, Snow Men. Andrew’s work was voted the top honor from the three finalists selected from the most recent Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY award winners. Andrew will receive the $1,500 Grand Prize from Outskirts Press as well as wide recognition through social networks, and a widely distributed press release. An exclusive award seal will also be added to his cover for all future printings of his novel.
Andrew Ceroni served a distinguished career as a special agent conducting global counterespionage and antiterrorism operations. He is a graduate of numerous federal intelligence and criminal law enforcement training forums. He received his B.S. degree from the US Air Force Academy; M.A. from Case Western University; and studied several foreign languages at the University of Maryland. An author of several short stories and two novels, his poetry has also been published in several magazines. He lives in Colorado with his family.
Over the last week, thousands of readers and writers among our writing & publishing social community were invited to vote. The Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award recognizes not only the author with the writing talent to compose an award-winning book, but with the marketing prowess to promote one. Andrew ultimately collected the greatest percentage of votes.
Besides receiving the $1,500 Grand Prize, Andrew Ceroni will now reap the benefits of extensive promotion of his book by Outskirts Press. A feature story that covers his inspiration to write the book, his own writing process and his personal story will be widely distributed throughout the social networks in the near future.
Congratulations, Andrew!
The results of the poll were:
Snow Men by Andrew Ceroni
63.51%
Dust to Dust by John Hudson
27.18%
Speechless by E.J. Brown
9.32%
Start publishing your new book today and you could become next year’s Best Book of the Year winner!
Now’s your chance to give us your vote for which book you would like to see receive the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award for 2014 and the $1,500 Grand Prize that goes along with it. Voting is open to everyone. The poll ends at midnight (Mountain Standard Time) on Sunday, September 6th.
The 2014 Best Book of the Year Finalists Are:
#1 – Speechless by E.J. Brown
E.J. Brown has been fighting to recover her sons from autism for the past decade. For the last seven years she has been the teacher to one handsome, insightful, bright student: her son, Clary. Every day means fighting the good fight to full recovery. She lives in coastal South Carolina with her handsome trophy husband, George, and three brilliant boys that teach her more every day than she ever learned in a book or a classroom.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK
We are here to teach the world what happens when love is enough…
Speechless is the story of a family that was forced to take the long journey of heartache and despair into the dark, confusing world of autism and found their way out the other side to recovery. Three brothers each were diagnosed with a different form of ASD and their parents faced an unwavering fight to bring them back. The battle was against a disorder that is considered incurable, and children who are thought to be unreachable. This theory was turned on its ear with a new perspective, hope, love and determination. We refer to the full recovery of two, the third a miracle in progress. This one family’s story will change everything you think you know about autism and the things you consider to be important in life. This was a family that loved one another and exercised blind faith in each other, despite the obstacles placed before them. They accepted the disorder with the caveat that they would continue to fight and would never accept that this had to be a lifelong disability. They fought with everything they had and proved that sometimes amazing things happen if you put aside what your head tells you is logical and, instead, follow your heart. Three boys showed everyone that hope can lead to miracles if we choose to believe. What seems impossible is very often possible. It is only when we believe that we can change despair into hope and enjoy the happy ending we all expect and deserve.
For more details, including ordering the book instantly, click here.
#2 – Snow Men by Andrew Ceroni
Andrew Ceroni served a distinguished career as a special agent conducting global counterespionage and antiterrorism operations. He is a graduate of numerous federal intelligence and criminal law enforcement training forums. He received his B.S. degree from the US Air Force Academy; M.A. from Case Western University; and studied several foreign languages at the University of Maryland. An author of several short stories and two novels, his poetry has also been published in several magazines. He lives in Colorado with his family.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK
Dave McClure is on a plane to Alaska in early winter, having quit his job with the FBI and turned his back on the world. It’s been a year since the horrific accident that claimed his wife and son, and McClure is still unable to move beyond his grief. Remembering the joy he once shared with his wife on vacation in Alaska, he heads north… seeking solace and resolving to either put his painful past behind him or succumb to the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. Instead, McClure finds a grisly scene in the forest—the body of a hunter whose throat has been cut ear to ear. And that’s only the beginning. In Snow Men—equal parts international thriller and wilderness survival—McClure uncovers a cache of nuclear weapons and a Russian-Iranian plot to wipe the nation of Israel off the map. With only a hunting rifle, a pistol, and a few days worth of supplies, Dave McClure not only faces Russian Special Forces and the harsh reality of nature, but discovers a will to live he didn’t know he still had. Spanning locales in Alaska, Paris, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Thailand, and Washington, DC, Snow Men is a stunning thriller set against the pristine beauty of Alaska’s rugged Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness.
For more details, including ordering the book instantly, click here.
#3 – Dust to Dust by John Hudson
John Hudson is a career banker with over 30 years of financial institution executive marketing experience. He also performs regularly as keyboardist and soloist with his Dixieland band Dixie Rhythm and is house soloist with the Clarke County Community Band and Yesterday Swing Orchestra. He is the author of two books commemorating his employer and his hometown; Dust to Dust is his first novel. John is married with two sons and a daughter-in-law and lives in Virginia.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK
The year is 1826 and Thomas Jefferson has just died. His beloved Monticello bustles with activity as funeral plans are swiftly organized for his burial in the family cemetery. Fast forward to 2026. A group of researchers specializing in regeneration technology have found success after years of work and significant investment. Dr. Pat Alexander, head researcher at BioGen, announces to the assembled group of board members/investors that the regeneration of a circus chimpanzee, which died in a runaway circus wagon accident in 1926, has met with success: The animal is alive and well. Discussion turns to the final step in the researchers’ plan—to bring back a human being—and after careful elimination, the candidates are whittled down to one name: Thomas Jefferson. So begins this powerful debut novel—a book that examines human ambition gone wrong and chronicles the miraculous “rebirth” of the nation’s third president, his struggles to assimilate, and the world’s collective amazement at the science behind this feat. The American government swiftly becomes part of the oversight of the technology, and the 48th president personally introduces Jefferson to the 21st century. But with a lethal flaw in the researchers’ technology, the world’s unbridled excitement quickly erodes, leading to a destructive conclusion for all involved. Fortunes evaporate, beliefs are challenged, careers are ruined, and lives are lost in Dust to Dust.
For more details, including ordering the book instantly, click here.
Now it’s time to vote for the winner of the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award for 2014.
The winner receives a $1,500 grand prize, an exclusive Best Book of the Year award added to the book’s cover for all future printings, exclusive placement in our Best Book of the Year Pinterest Board, and much more!
Outskirts Press
Are you the next award-winning author from Outskirts Press? Start publishing today!
Congratulations to Andrew Ceroni, author of Snow Men, one of three finalists for the Outskirts Press 2014 Best Book of the Year Award.
The three finalists are being introduced throughout the week on this blog. Public voting will determine which of the three finalists should be awarded the Outskirts Press 2014 Best Book of the Year Award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Voting is open to everyone and begins on this blog on Thursday, September 3.
Andrew Ceroni served a distinguished career as a special agent conducting global counterespionage and antiterrorism operations. He is a graduate of numerous federal intelligence and criminal law enforcement training forums. He received his B.S. degree from the US Air Force Academy; M.A. from Case Western University; and studied several foreign languages at the University of Maryland. An author of several short stories and two novels, his poetry has also been published in several magazines. He lives in Colorado with his family.
Snow Men
Dave McClure is on a plane to Alaska in early winter, having quit his job with the FBI and turned his back on the world. It’s been a year since the horrific accident that claimed his wife and son, and McClure is still unable to move beyond his grief. Remembering the joy he once shared with his wife on vacation in Alaska, he heads north… seeking solace and resolving to either put his painful past behind him or succumb to the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. Instead, McClure finds a grisly scene in the forest—the body of a hunter whose throat has been cut ear to ear. And that’s only the beginning. In Snow Men—equal parts international thriller and wilderness survival—McClure uncovers a cache of nuclear weapons and a Russian-Iranian plot to wipe the nation of Israel off the map. With only a hunting rifle, a pistol, and a few days worth of supplies, Dave McClure not only faces Russian Special Forces and the harsh reality of nature, but discovers a will to live he didn’t know he still had. Spanning locales in Alaska, Paris, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Thailand, and Washington, DC, Snow Men is a stunning thriller set against the pristine beauty of Alaska’s rugged Wrangell-St. Elias wilderness.
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 also be recognized as the best book among three finalists.
As one of three finalists, Andrew Ceroni and his book Snow Men will be competing head-to-head-to-head with the other two finalists in a public poll on this blog starting on Thursday. Andrew has already demonstrated he has the writing chops to win this prestigious award, as evidenced by his EVVY Award win. Does he have the marketing prowess to make it as the Best Book of the Year author in this digital age? Stay tuned for information on the remaining finalists being announced this week, and then come back on Thursday to vote for the book you believe to be the best among the three.
The author of the winning book will receive a $1,500 credit to his or her Publishing Center, courtesy of Outskirts Press, and an exclusive 2014 Best Book of the Year award seal to apply to the cover of the book.
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? Get started today.
. 
“As a first-time author, I was overwhelmed with the publication process, but my research paid off: My choice of Outskirts Press is one of the best decisions I made.”
